I-85 In Vance County Voted No. 1 On 'Rough Roads' List

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Lee Dartch opened North Wake Animal Hospital on U.S. 1A, also known as South Main Street, in Wake Forest 21 years ago. He said he has never seen the road this bad, and it reminds him of growing up on a dirt road.

"Our dirt roads actually, thank goodness, were a lot smoother than South Main Street here is in Wake Forest now," he said.

The road was recently widened, but it has not been repaved. The state Department of Transportation said they are waiting until the Highway 98 Bypass project is complete.

"An alternate route on the detour route, if you will, from that (Highway) 98 project is 1A," said DOT engineer Jon Nance. "We're not doing a lot of work on 1A until we open the 98 Bypass."

While 1A was voted second on the "Rough Roads" list, the top vote-getter was Interstate 85 in Vance County.

"I feel like my back is hurting from all the bounces and pot holes I hit coming up here from Greensboro," said driver Mitch Simmons.

Officials said it will cost $20 million to fix and it will take several years to complete.

"We're hoping maybe in the next four to five years that we'll be able to get something started," Nance said. "But with a price tag like that the experience we've had with our funding, I'm going to wait and see how things go, but I'm hopeful."