Bond, property taxes to smooth Durham roads

David Glick said that voting for a tax increase was a difficult decision, but he'll be glad to see smoother streets around the home he rents on Mallard Avenue.

"It is kind of wavy and bumpy," Glick said. "That's kind of a good thing, to slow people down."

Durham planners said they knew a tax hike during these down economic times would be a hard sale, but they said re-paving is sorely needed.

"It's very exciting," Ed Venable, manager of Durham's Engineering and Stormwater department. "The method is we take care of the worst first."

Durham streets have all been ranked according to their condition, and about 150 miles of roads that fall into the poor or very poor category will be fixed first.

"We want the contractor to not hop-scotch around. We want the contractor to be able to move methodically from one street to the next," Venable said.

If all goes as planned, repaving work will begin in April.

Glick said he looks forward to it.

"Nice streets are nice to drive on," he said.