Ongoing road project leads to repeated flooding in Cobb County

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - For several years, a massive road construction project has been underway in Cobb County to widen Macland Road from two lanes to four. 

It sounds like a great thing for commuters, but a family says it has been a nightmare, and it is costing them money. 

The Lopez family says when it rains, part of their land floods when water rushes out of a drainage pipe. They say before construction started back in 2020, they never had any issues. 

They have been documenting the trouble they face every time it rains and showed the videos to FOX 5 Reporter Tyler Fingert. They say the flooding is impacting the small family farm they run on their land. 

"There's not a day that goes by that I don’t drive out my driveway and have some sense of anger and frustration," said Sonia Lopez, owner of Two by Two Farms. 

Lopez blames their problem on the massive Macland Road widening project. She says before construction started in 2020, they never had an issue. Now she says they cannot use the land the way they want because she needs to keep their animals away from the muddy water. 

"I'm not a duck farmer, I don't want ducks, especially when I have a protected flock of chickens," she said. 

Back in 2021, Lopez says the Georgia Department of Transportation fixed their flooding issue, but she says in December it came back. She reached out to GDOT again, and she showed FOX 5 the messages, but she says so far nothing has been done. 

"It goes from anger to why can't they just help me," she said. "Do they not like farmers?  Do they not like their neighbors?" 

Lopez says she feels like she is being ignored. 

"They’re absolutely not listening, they're just telling me that we are getting a plan approved," she said. "Well, who's the plan maker and who approves it?" 

The family says the flooding issue has cost the family farm more than $10,000 since 2020, but she says the state has not reimbursed them. 

FOX 5 reached out to GDOT but have not heard back.