Fayetteville road widening project upsets homeowners

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WTVD) -- A road widening project is putting the Department of Transportation at odds with dozens of residents along Cliffdale Road.

The state agency wants to widen Cliffdale Road near Fayetteville Academy from two lanes to four but that would mean several homeowners lose part of their yards.

The DOT has been looking at the congestion on Cliffdale Road since the 1990's. On Tuesday, crews were surveying the one mile stretch of Cliffdale from McPherson Church Road to Morganton Road.

The DOT believes the project would be best to alleviate congestion near the school but residents told Eyewitness News that adding lanes only adds to the problem.

"I just think it's a waste of money. The traffic is heavy but traffic is heavy everywhere. I don't know that it's going to help. I think it's going to make it worse. It's going to be more traffic. It's going to be faster and I think it's going to bottleneck once you get down to Morganton Road," said Ann Rowell.

Meanwhile, the City of Fayetteville plans to side with residents. District 9 Councilmember, Jim Arp told Eyewitness News the council had voted against the proposal.

"While we need good infrastructure, we want good roads. This is a situation that is only nine-tenths of a mile. There are existing roads we can divert the traffic around and not impact this neighborhood," said Arp.

The DOT's land survey will be complete within the next three weeks. They plan to use that data to determine what type of design options are available, that's why they're hoping residents and city leaders keep an open mind.

The Department of Transportation released the following statement to Eyewitness News:

"We take seriously the concerns of homeowners on this road. We are gathering more data and studying this road. We want to have as much public input as possibly which is why we want to show different design options to the public when they are ready later this year. All options are on the table as we look for ways to improve this road and reduce the heavy congestion on it."

The project will cost $14 million.

If it's not approved, the money will go to other projects in the state. If approved, construction will begin in 2024.