Update: Could we put up a plaque for the Historic South Main Pothole? The major hole in the pavement in the left northbound traffic lane in front of the Mellow Mushroom lies in wait for unwary drivers. Local drivers know to avoid it. This is a state-maintained street; there are surely state Department of Transportation employees who live in Wake Forest and know about the hole, and DOT workers have to drive that section frequently for other reasons. It has remained unfixed for more than a year. What does it take to get it fixed?
In Treme, an HBO series that recently ended, one character turned the pothole that had destroyed the front part of his car into an art object accidentally. He placed a stepladder and a bucket and maybe something else in it to warn other drivers. Through the months, though, others added embellishments – Mardi Gras beads, plastic flowers, whatever – and at the end of the series the pothole remained – as did the experiment in community art.
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Wake Forest and the area around the town will be impacted by the reconstruction of four bridges from November 2014 through August of 2016.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded the $9.2-million design/build contract to Blythe Construction of Charlotte; the contract includes four other bridge reconstructions in other parts of Wake County.
Project Manager Matt Adams said in late October that the company’s team is now working through the design phase of the project and released the following tentative dates for the reconstructions.
* The Purnell Road bridge over Horse Creek will be the first in this area, and it will be closed for part of its length from November 2014 through March 2015.
* The bridge over Smith Creek on Rogers Road will be next to be closed in part from March 2015 through August 2015. The closure may be longer because the Town of Wake Forest plans to widen and straighten Rogers Road while the bridge is under construction.
* Next up will be West Oak Avenue over Richland Creek which will be closed from November 2015 through March 2016.
* Finally, Forestville Road over Sanford Creek will be closed from April 2016 to August 2016.
Again, those are tentative dates which may change.
One Response
Road crews just finished milling up the front portion of Heritage Club Drive from Heritage Lake Road to the traffic circle in front of the clubhouse. We had a traffic calming hump just before the cart crossing from #9 to the club before the repaving but now it is gone. Drivers have always sped down that stretch of street, with kids riding their bikes, people walking their dogs, and golfers trying to cross. Wake Forest PD seems to patrol the heck out of Heritage Lake Road, but we never see them looking for speeders on Heritage Club Drive. How do we get the hump put back in and our PD to sit and check for speeders on this small stretch? It is only a matter of time, I’m afraid, before someone gets hurt.