"I hate it, tires always need air, but I know the work has to be done," said driver Sharon Stevens.
Work repaving Mangum, Roxboro, Pettigrew, and Main Streets has taken longer than planned. DOT officials say unexpected problems with sink holes, utility lines, and inadequate asphalt are to blame.
"We had to step back and come up with a thicker asphalt that we could put back for a longer lasting road in the end," explained Chad Hinnant with the NCDOT.
Some drivers have asked why roads weren't ripped up one at a time.
"When you have short section or short project - only a couple of miles spread out - you want to keep your work far enough ahead that your paving crew is progressing," Hinnant explained.
It's also less expensive to grind down all the streets at once. It's harder on drivers but easier on taxpayers.
The good news is reconstruction work on Mangum Street that's been causing a bottleneck could wrap up by the end of the week.
"That is barring any problems that may arise, and then they possibly have a day or two over on Roxboro," said Hinnant.
That means resurfacing on the last two roads could begin just in time for the DOT's September 16 deadline.
"The end is in sight," said Hinnant. "With any hope, we'll be through with this in the next couple of weeks."
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