CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rea Road has been under construction for nearly three years and was supposed to be completed five months ago.
IMAGES: Rea Road construction
Rea Road between Highway 51 and Colony Road is covered with road construction barrels, lanes shifts, dirt and potholes since work started to widen the road in July 2012.
Nearby residents say it is a dangerous area.
"There's not a lot of lighting and you can't see when it's curving around," resident Melody Adams said. "It's just a mess. It is so congested all the time."
There's no doubt the road needed improvement. In an incident in May 2012, a Coca-Cola executive died in a head-on crash with a dump truck.
The new road is straighter, flatter and safer but not finished six months after it was supposed to be completed and the Charlotte Department of Transportation now hopes it will be done in May.
CDOT officials blame weather, utility relocations and subcontractor that the general contractor coordinates.
The taxpayer cost hasn't changed but the contractor now faces a fine, CDOT officials said. They could receive a fine up to $1,000 a day for a job that could be nine months over schedule.
Adams' property is along the road construction.
"Not being able to use the road, walk along it. There are workers in our yard almost every day," Adams said.
CDOT officials said they're still assessing how much of the delays are weather related and what the contractor is responsible for doing.
That will determine the total fine the contractor will have to pay.