TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Neighbors in Three Points are taking action, fixing their main road themselves.
Fuller Road had been riddled with deep holes, leaving drivers swerving and driving slowly just to get through. Because the road is not county-maintained, neighbors Larry Worden and Kevin Kassner decided to raise money by asking for donations from the community, and then hired a local contractor, Accurate Paving, to make repairs.
"My nephew-in-law, he challenged us. He said I'll give you $500. So then my other nephew said he would give $500 and, oh, there was a third one, oh me. I was gonna give $500 so that gives us $1500 to get started," Worden said.
Kassner, Worden's great-nephew, did the legwork. He knocked on neighbor’s doors, put up signs throughout the town and Facebook, asking for people to pitch in.
"It's been pretty good. We've had 26 donors, for a total of around $5,367 so far, $4000 of which we have spent on the road already. That was a little over 100 tons of material brought in and filled a whole bunch of the holes on Fuller Road, and we do plan to continue our progress," Kassner said.
According to Pima County's Department of Transportation, once the paved Fuller Road ends and turns into a dirt road leading to other roads like Arnota and Worden, they are no longer responsible for upkeep.
"The roads are named easements and not public right-of-way. Therefore, Pima County has no legal access to enter private property and grade the easement. Secondly, Pima County maintains over 280 miles of dirt roadways and is not taking any additional dirt roads into our maintenance system," said Melissa Canciom, Pima County Transportation Community Engagement Manager.
Before the repairs, Kassner described what driving on Fuller Road was like.
"Fuller was so bad everyone was going left and right just to go around. The holes were so deep that you could see people bottoming out all the time on their vehicles," Kassner said. "One of the ladies that I talked to said she had just put $4,000 into her vehicle just because of this road. So she was really eager to get stuff done."
One of the donors is a neighbor affectionately known as Tiny. He says he knows his money is going to a good cause because he can already feel the difference on Fuller.
"I'm happy to help any way I can. I finally donated my money today with my check that came in and it's a challenge to keep the roads so they're passable," Tiny said. "I call that road 100% better than it was before the first effort went into it. Not as bumpy. You can actually get above 10 miles an hour without feeling like you're gonna put your head through the roof of the car.
Kassner agrees the improvement has been significant based off the speed people are now driving on the road.
"I think the most I ever got was nine miles an hour. Now I'm comfortable going about 15," Kassner said.
Even though it’s a much better ride home, Kassner says the work is not done.
“In order to get the grading done and the road filled, we need approximately $1,133 more dollars," Kassner said.
Worden's family bought the land he lives on in 1971, sitting on 100 acres. It's no coincidence why the name of the street he resides on is Worden Road — named after his father. So he's been traveling on the rough roads for quite some time and is ready to make it easier for himself and others in the area. He says taking on this project was nice because it allowed him to reconnect with people he hadn't spoken to in a very long time.
"That felt good because I have lost contact with a lot of people. I didn't know they were still here," Worden said.
Kassner is feeling the same way.
"It's been kind of neat talking to the neighbors, people I didn't know, and now I feel like they're part of our neighborhood, you know, and our community," Kassner said.
Kassner and Worden would like to have yearly grading done in the years ahead, though that will also depend on what can be collected from the community.
If you're interested in being a part of the project, you can contact Worden at 231-286-0846 or Kassner at 231-670-9721.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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