Troubleshooter: Orange County residents stuck with unpaved roads
ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- When you notice a bump in the road, you likely contact the NCDOT to fix it, but some Orange County residents have been complaining about the same potholes and gravel road for more than 15 years.
The potholes are along Bacon Road in Orange County, and the NCDOT has been using the same quick-fix for years--a fix residents say isn't working.
"They'll come out, throw a little gravel in the holes and the holes wallow out and in about two weeks, it's back to the same," Tonya Albright said.
Albright said residents who live along the road have been dealing with potholes and gravel for years.
"I find it's a problem, we pay our county taxes and unfortunately they don't come out and pave the road," she said.
The pot holes have caused mechanical and financial problems.
"I have a tire over here that I popped on the gravel and rocks already," Albright said.
Bacon Road is paved on both ends, but there is a quarter of a mile stretch that is completely gravel.
"It's the last road in this whole area that isn't paved," resident William Kordish said.
The residents have started a petition to try and get the DOT's attention to pave the road.
"Primarily we feel we're not being listened to," Kordish said.
Residents contacted ABC11 and we reached out to the DOT.
A district engineer for the Orange County NCDOT said they've heard the complaints and this section of Bacon Road was on the priority paving list back in the mid 90's. But in order for it all to be paved, all of the property owners had
to provide the right away to the state.
He said all but one property owner has provided that right and while the DOT has reached out to that property owner over the years, he said they won't sign off on it.
Until the owner signs, the NCDOT can only maintain the gravel road.
But resident's say they are not giving up on getting the road paved.
The property owner, who has been the lone holdout all these years, said when the NCDOT approached her and her husband back in the 90's to pave the road, they weren't happy with the NCDOT'S plan to only take land from one side of the
road and not both sides.
She added that she is willing to work with the NCDOT, but does not want to lose too much of her land.
