Bump, bump, bump: Better get used to it on Kildaire Farm Road

CARY -- Every day, Martha Helms drives her Toyota Camry along Kildaire Farm Road in Cary, running errands, shopping and going to church.

And every day, her car goes bump, bump, bump in the south-bound lanes on that road between Cary Parkway and Tryon Road, where there are at least a dozen paved-over potholes and patches that create an uneven terrain.

"I know the bumps by heart now, so I know when they're coming," said Helms, who lives in the Churchill Downs subdivision near MacGregor Downs.

But they are hard to avoid. Though most are in the right-hand lane, there are some in the left, too, Helms said.

Helms thinks her car may have been damaged from hitting those bad spots on the road every day, but she hasn't had it checked.

Troubleshooter called the N.C. Department of Transportation, which maintains the road, and asked whether Helms' car will get a smoother ride when she goes on her daily travels.

According to a DOT official, Kildaire Farm Road will not get repaved any time soon.

"We've looked at Kildaire Farm Road, and there are some bumpy spots and potholes," said Reid Elmore, DOT's Wake County maintenance engineer. "It's not on our list for a full overlay for this paving season or next paving season."

Elmore did say the DOT is maintaining the road and addressing problems on an as-needed basis, including repairing potholes throughout the year.

Elmore said the DOT rates the roads in the county every two years, and this one did not make the priority list.

"If it reaches high enough in priority, we try to address it at that time," he said.