Residents say Hay Hollow Road slide endangers residents, delays response; commissioners weigh options including eminent domain

Residents of Hay Hollow Road and nearby neighborhoods urged Maury County commissioners to reopen the road or fund repairs after a bank slide closed the road’s end more than three years ago.

Cheyenne Martin, a resident who said she lives on Hay Hollow Road, told the commission the end of the road ‘‘was closed off’’ after a storm left about ‘‘a foot and a half of the edge of the road’’ missing. ‘‘You literally can't see the edge of the road,’’ she said, and described repeated flooding and a history of emergency responses being delayed because vehicles must use a long detour around Leaper’s Creek.

Kathleen Connor said her husband was life‑flighted after a December 2023 emergency and that she had to remind 911 that the road was closed while emergency responders were en route. ‘‘They had to back up and come through Leaper's Creek, causing potential life‑threatening minutes,’’ she said.

Ken McKee, Maury County highway superintendent, said he investigated and that an engineering report from Collier concluded a permanent repair at the slide location was not economically feasible. McKee said the only practical repair would be to relocate the roadway north onto adjacent private property; the property owner has opposed that option. McKee estimated the relocation would likely require approximately 50 feet of private property across about 400 feet of roadway.

The commission discussed the condemnation (eminent‑domain) process. County counsel explained the typical steps: obtain a survey and appraisal, attempt negotiation with the owner, tender the appraisal amount to the court and request a hearing to acquire possession if negotiations fail. Commissioners noted that condemnation is legally possible but politically and administratively difficult.

Cost context: commissioners said similar slope repairs have been expensive elsewhere in the county—one slide repair on Skelly Road previously exceeded $1 million and an emergency repair at Aiken Ridge will cost the county an estimated $400,000 for that portion.

Public‑safety and mapping concerns also came up. Emergency services staff said 911 and first responders should have the closure in their mapping systems; a commissioner noted Google Maps shows the road closed but some first responders told residents they did not know the closure. Residents urged the county to ‘‘really investigate’’ and said closures have affected response times and daily life.

Next steps and directions: County staff said they will continue discussions with property owners and will explore options including creating a cul‑de‑sac with a neighboring property, further engineering study, or pursuing the eminent‑domain process if justified. Commissioners agreed to inspect the site and pursue additional information about feasibility and costs.

Clarifying details from the meeting record: residents and staff referenced a Collier engineering report that concluded on‑site repair was not feasible; staff estimated a 50‑foot by ~400‑foot property acquisition would be required to relocate the road; commissioners referenced a prior slide repair that cost more than $1 million and quoted a county share estimate of about $400,000 for another slide repair that the state requested be done as an emergency.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this report include Cheyenne Martin (resident), Kathleen Connor (resident), Ken McKee (Highway superintendent), and county legal and highway staff who discussed the condemnation process. All direct quotations are attributed to speakers as recorded in the meeting transcript.