City works to repair Fayetteville dam missing since Hurricane Matthew

Fayetteville, N.C. — Hurricane Matthew knocked out several earthen dams back in October 2016, including one that left water flowing over Mirror Lake Drive in Fayetteville.

The power of the water blew out the back portion of the dam and erosion wiped out half of the road.

Whitney Coleman said she did not live in the area when the storm wiped out the bridge, but she feels the impact every time she tries to head across town.

“I wish I could get through because it’s definitely an inconvenience to get to that side of town,” she said.

Giselle Rodriguez, a city engineer who is working on the project, said she is trying to get the right of entry from the owners of two pieces of property near the lake. She said that is the key to bringing in heavy equipment to start the project.

“We have been in communication with the team and we are hopeful that those right of entries will come,” she said.

Some residents made claims on social media that the city is using money for road repairs to help build the new downtown baseball stadium.

Rodriguez said that is not that case. She said the $4.5 million allocated for the Mirror Lake project is guaranteed by FEMA and is locked in to rebuild the dam.

“That money is set aside in that particular pot and cannot be used for anything else…not even a baseball stadium,” Rodriguez said.