Mechanics at AVEC Auto Service Center have seen the wreckage of Wade Avenue's potholes.
"When you start tearing up cars and tires, I would think that's the time to do something," said Andy Trexler with AVEC Auto Service.
They said they can't understand why freeways and other roads that ride more smoothly than Wade Avenue are getting fresh pavement over the battered roads.
"I don't know who makes the decisions on who gets asphalt first," said Frank Dominick with AVEC Auto Service."What kills me about this whole thing is they're paving the Beltline."
The difference is the way the state DOT classifies roads and sets paving priorities.
"We don't get enough money to pave all of our roads in North Carolina every 10 to 15 years," DOT Engineer Wally Bowman said. "Interstate is our number one priority. It's higher speeds, high trucks, and higher traffic, all three."
Interstates, like I-40 and the Beltline make up about 1,000 miles of highway in North Carolina. But Wade Avenue is part of 64,000 miles of secondary roads.
Officials said money to pave interstates and secondary roads are kept apart.
"What you're seeing on the secondary roads, we just don't have enough money to pave every single mile," Bowman said.
Whatever the answer, auto mechanics said its fuzzy math to them.
"It doesn't make sense why they aren't paving Wade," Trexler said. "That's for sure."
Officials said I-40 from 540 to Wade Avenue had not been re-paved since 1995 and was on the verge of breaking into major disrepair. They also said help was on the way to Wade Avenue.
Repaving should start in October or November and be finished sometime next year with the help of some federal stimulus money.
