Road repaving can take time

Crews scraped off the top layer of pavement weeks ago, but the road surface is still rough and noisy, leaving some wondering why it takes so long to add new pavement.

"They need to put some asphalt down and finish it up," said Scott Curtner, who likes to ride his motorcycle.

Lately though, he's had to stay away from Avent Ferry. "It's real unstable on a motorcycle," he said.

Reid Elmore, a district engineer for the DOT, says that often after roads are milled, crews find sections of the road that have deteriorated.

"Those sections have to have a full-depth patch before the road can be repaved," he said.

The repairs, he says, take time, and although drivers might not like the rough road surfaces, they shouldn't worry.

"It does leave the underlying asphalt rough. It's noisy to drive on, but it's safe to drive on," Elmore said.

In addition to Avent Ferry, the DOT is also doing some repaving on Glenwood Avenue, near downtown Raleigh, as well as some secondary roads, like Millbrook Road in Raleigh and Kildaire Farm Road in Cary.

Most of the milling takes place at night.

Curtner, meanwhile, said he is happy to see progress on Avent Ferry.

"We're getting to the point where it's going to be nice here pretty soon," he said.