Apex man says school construction floods his driveway

APEX, NC (WTVD) -- An Apex man is upset over a road construction project that he says now causes his driveway to flood.

With town approval over the summer, Thales Academy paid a private contractor to widen N Salem St. to accommodate traffic flowing in and out of the new school.

Tom Colhoun's home sits on N Salem at the edge of that construction project. He contacted ABC11 Wednesday saying construction crews did a substandard job and left without completing their work.

Among his complaints: the repaving of N Salem St. that he said made the road bumpier than it was originally. Calhoun also said the concrete apron that crews added to the end of his driveway was too steep. It scrapes the bottom of his vehicle and causes several inches of water to pond there anytime it rains.

Construction crews rolled out of the area in September and Colhoun said he assumed they had left another project- repairs to a culvert and ditch near his property- untouched.

"That's the most frustrating thing in the world," said Colhoun. "If you're going to do a job, do it right the first time and finish it!"

Colhoun cited the letter Michael Roach, Thales Academy's Facilities and New Construction Manager sent him on June 15, outlining the work they had agreed to complete. The letter stated the "work will be completed during or following the road widening of N Salem St."

When ABC11 called Roach Wednesday, he said he was shocked Colhoun hadn't contacted him sooner.

"We've had open communication with Tom," he said over the phone. "He's had concerns throughout the process and we've addressed those. I'm surprised that he didn't come to me with those concerns."

Roach said he contacted Colhoun after speaking with ABC11 and asked if he would meet with him and the contractor the next day. He said they will work to resolve any issues.

Steve Abbott, NC Dept. Of Transportation spokesperson, tells ABC11 anytime an individual submits a complaint about construction done to a state road, the DOT will inspect it, and require corrections if need be. However, he said he never received a complaint from Colhoun or anyone else connected to the N Salem St. road construction project.