Roadwork in Grove delayed

It's going to be a while before the bumps and potholes will be smoothed out on roads inside the Harrington Grove subdivision.

Repair work has once again been pushed back at the northwest Raleigh subdivision, residents were told last week at a meeting with city and state officials.

Jon Nance of the state Department of Transportation told those folks at the meeting that major work would be put on hold in 2006 because of the ailing state road budget.

Nance added that a new schedule would be put together, but he said the state would try to get all the work done by 2009, as originally planned.

It's been a frustrating time since the Harrington Grove subdivision was annexed by the city in 2001.

Because Harrington Grove's roads were previously maintained by the state and had been neglected, the city refused to take responsibility for maintenance until they were brought up to par.

Raleigh has accepted a few of Harrington Grove's streets into its system for maintenance, but the majority of streets -- those built before Raleigh annexed the area -- are still in the state's control.

Nance said the state's budget woes leave only a small pot of money for resurfacing state roads in all of Wake County.

This year, no state-maintained subdivision streets will be resurfaced in Wake County, he said.

Residents were told last year that the work would likely be done by 2009 and that a lot of work would be done in 2005.

But only minor work was done last year, which cast doubt among Harrington Grove residents.

"It's aggravating because it keeps going back and forth," said Ron Commons, a Harrington Grove resident and vice president of the the Harrington Grove Homeowners Association.

Nance said finishing in 2009 will mean a lot of catching up in next couple of years. While about $40,000 was spent in 2005, only about $10,000 of work is scheduled for 2006 -- minor repairs such as patching.

Road officials estimate it will cost more than $1 million to complete all the work. The DOT, operating in budget-shortfall mode, has only $5 million set aside for road resurfacing projects in all of Wake County this year.

Falls of the Neuse, Hillsborough Street, Forestville and Ligon Mill roads are of higher priority, said Nance.

Mayor Charles Meeker, who attended last week's meeting, said he understood the grumbling among Harrington Grove residents.

"It's past due time that the streets be brought up to city standards," Meeker told The News & Observer.

Carl Dawson, Raleigh's Public Works director, said the city would begin maintenance once the streets were made acceptable. It's not that the streets aren't wide enough; it's the structural issues, such as cracks and potholes, Dawson said.

Jim Brawley, a Harrington Grove resident, was not satisfied after the meeting.

"I don't think [DOT] put us at ease," Brawley said. "We understand their constraints ... But the worst thing you can do is tell somebody you're going to do something and not do it. It's all about the follow-through."

As for that, Nance maintains no promises have been made.

Nance admitted a lot more work was scheduled for last summer, but the budget changed and the work had to be put on hold.

"We have had budget challenges for three years," said Nance. "We have to look very carefully how we spend money and how quickly we spend money. ... At the time, the best schedule was given."

Nance cautiously said it's still possible for the work to be done in 2009.

"We're going to do our best to meet this schedule, but we might still have to rearrange our priorities. So, no promises."