Raleigh Residents May Have To Pay Extra For Better Roads

On Lake Wheeler Road, traffic is unbearable to some.

"They have made no improvements, and our area out there keeps growing and growing," motorist Jeannie Inskeep said.

City leaders said they will have to raise taxes, if they are going to widen roads like Lake Wheeler -- something lawmakers do not want to do, especially in an election year.

"Now we are talking about out of necessity a fourth bond issue that will put additional debt on our citizens to pay for state projects the state should have paid for," Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said.

Raleigh will consider a $40 million to $60 million transportation bond to pay for the improvements, which could raise property taxes by more than $20 on a $150,000 home.

"The people of this city deserve more than to be asked to pay for something that the state is required to do and I'm really tired about it," city councilor Philip Isley said.

The Wake County delegation of state lawmakers is lobbying the state Department of Transportation for more money, but so far, it has not helped. Raleigh officials plan to talk Tuesday morning about putting the bond on a ballot this fall.