The cost to fix all of Durham's rough roads: $180 million

It would cost the city of Durham about $179,214,054 to get its roads the repairs they need.

Durham resident Gerry Green pointed out what he’s noticed about the city’s roads.

“One, they get littered like all get out,” Green said. “And two, they need repairs.”

The city of Durham has 770 miles of paved roads and is adding about 8 miles per year. The city has a $179,214,054 backlog of work to do on its roads.

When asked about Durham’s road problems that he’s noticed, Green chuckled.

“Pick something,” he said. “Potholes, broken concrete.”

Many drivers have ended up getting their cars serviced at Durham Tire and Automotive Tire Pros after hitting a pothole.

Sales manager Ed Summey said he sees bent wheels and even cracked wheels several times a week.

Those repairs typically cost between $100 to $150, but it depends on the damage.

Summey recalled a specific pothole that was particularly troublesome.

“There was a pothole out here that was so bad, we’ve actually seen it knock the bed loose on a pickup truck,” he said.

On Thursday, the Durham City Council heard from Austin, Texas-based Roadway Asset Services about the condition of the city’s roads. The city hired the third-party company to conduct a study on the roadways in the Durham. The company’s assessment found the average condition of roads in Durham is considered “fair” with a score of 69 out of 100.

Pavement condition index

• Good: 86-100
• Satisfactory: 71-85
• Fair: 56-70
• Poor: 41-55
• Very Poor: 26-40
• Serious: 11-25
• Failed: 0-10

City councilmembers acknowledged while it is an ongoing issue, roads are improving.

“About 10 [to] 15 years ago the city was really rammed about how many potholes, and how many roads were really horrible,” said Ward 1 Councilmember DeDreana Freeman said. “And so we’ve worked really hard to get it up to a standard.”

Durham leaders said that paying $179,214,054 all at once to repair city’s roads isn’t a possibility. It would be about one-third of the city’s entire annual budget.

Summey urged the city to fix the roads.

“It needs to be done,” Summey said. “It’s costing people time. It’s costing people money.”