Subdivision residents seek more support for petition to have the NCDOT take over
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 9, 2016 1:46 PM
Residents of the Canterbury Village and North Creek subdivisions are working against the clock with one week left to collect enough signatures that would lead to road repairs throughout the residential area.
Close to 75 people met Monday night at Word Faith Center, on Buck Swamp Road, to discuss the scope of street repairs, estimated to cost nearly $2.2 million.
Close to 100 property owners originally signed a petition asking the N.C. Department of Transportation to take over the roads. The cost to each property owner, nearly $18,177, led more than a dozen property owners to pull their name off the petition.
Residents concluded Monday that they have until Tuesday to collect signatures from 75 percent of the property owners, which is required before the project can move forward.
Marsha Wilson, Wayne County clerk, said this morning that the owners of 84 properties have signed the petition. Reaching the 75 percent threshold requires 91 signatures.
Several property owners concluded that the repairs are needed for streets that range anywhere from 15 to 20 year in age. The street repair project is needed in order to bring the roads, ditches and drainage pipes up to state standards before DOT will add the area into its ongoing maintenance network.
"We've just not been able to do any work on these roads, and they're shot," said resident Steve Cole. "There's nothing we can do about the cost. It is what it is. If you don't do this, the cost is only going to go up."
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners plan to consider the petition during its meeting Tuesday. If the required number of signatures is collected, the project can move forward. The commissioners hired SEPI Engineering Construction, at a $28,800 cost, to complete a preliminary assessment of the streets, including a cost estimate. The county would contract the $2.2 million project and attach a special assessment to property tax bills that could be paid in 10 years at a 5 percent interest rate. The cost could also be paid in full within 30 days, without any interest fees, said George Wood, Wayne County manager.
"If the project goes forward, the $28,000 cost goes into the project," Wood said. "If you don't want it, the county will eat the cost. Really, it's whether you decide if you want it. I think this is the best solution."
Jonathan Arnold, with SEPI Engineering Construction, said the near $2.2 million cost is lower than DOT's estimate of more than $3 million.
SEPI's assessment of the neighborhood streets included reviews of the pavement, ditches, pipes, drop inlets, outfalls and headwalls. Pavement testing was performed as well as hydraulic reviews. Drainage systems and obstructions were also studied.
Crossline pipes, which run under roads, are exposed and leading to pipe failures and damage. Arnold estimates that two-thirds of all crossline pipes will need to be replaced.
"If you can't get water away from the pavement, it will damage pavement over time," Arnold said.
Many drainage pipes under residential driveways are also filled with silt and leading to drainage problems. The obstructions will have to be corrected. In addition, mailboxes and brick headwalls near residential driveway entrances will also have to be removed.
Wood has sought a DOT waiver to allow the brick entrances to remain.
"We have tried several times to get DOT to waive on this," Wood said. "We've run that dog as much as we can go, and they're not going to do that."
Some of the roads are better than others, with drainage problems and cracked pavement, Arnold said. Overall, the roads have held up through the years but are currently in either fair or poor condition.
"I think it's held up remarkably well," Arnold said.
The street repair project would include overlaying pavement with 1.5 to 2 inches of asphalt, patching pavement failure areas, pipe replacements and clearing blocked pipes. Obstructions, including mailboxes and headwalls will be removed, and ditches will be cleared, all within DOT's 30 foot right-of-way on each side the road, Arnold said.
Wood said that DOT will take over the roads and add them to the state's secondary road network if the conditions are met.
"They've committed to us that they will take it if we meet their standards," Wood said. "Legally right now, the DOT does not own these roads. "(We) have to get them up to DOT standards before they will take it over."
Commissioner Ray Mayo, who represents District 1, said he's committed to working with residents until the problems are resolved.
"This is one of the plans that is going to be our best bet," Mayo said. "We can't wait another three to four years. As your commissioner I will and will continue to support whatever it takes to try and get this situation corrected."
Mayo said that residents living in the Crosswinds subdivision, off Patetown Road, also took a similar path and paid for street repairs in an effort to get DOT to take over maintenance. Mayo said the Crosswinds subdivision is a good example and encouraged residents to visit the area to see what their roads would look like, if they move forward with the project.
Residents interested in signing the petition can do so at the Wayne County manager's office on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse.