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For years, the short stretch of road between Columbus Place, formerly Leigh Mall, at 1404 Old Aberdeen Road, and the Sprint Mart at 1401 Old Aberdeen Road, has been in a state of neglect. Drivers have long endured their cars bouncing from one pothole to the next and have often asked: Who is responsible for this road? When will it finally be fixed?
Who is responsible for the road?
City Engineer Kevin Stafford said the road’s condition is the result of mixed ownership.
“The city gets blamed all the time for the roads around the mall being in bad shape when the city does not own those roads,” Stafford said. “This was another one of those instances.”
The two-lane roadway, located in Ward 6, is currently split between two entities. The outbound lane, closest to Sprint Mart, is owned by the city. The inbound lane, closer to Columbus Place, is owned by Hull Property Group.
In 2011, the city attempted to gain rights to both lanes in order to coordinate a paving project. It successfully gained access to the outbound lane, which was then owned by the Gillis family. However, Security National Properties, the previous owners of Leigh Mall, did not sign away rights to the inbound lane, so the project was tabled.
When will it be repaired?
Still, conversations about repairs have recently resurfaced. Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco approached Stafford about the road’s condition about three weeks ago, in hopes of having it included in the next citywide paving project.
“I have been on that road, and it is horrible,” DiCicco told The Dispatch. “… Kevin and I have to finalize my list, and if it’s not on there, we can definitely add it.”
Before the road can be added to DiCicco’s Ward 6 list for paving projects, the city needs access to the inbound lane. Stafford requested a permanent easement for the lane from Hull Property Group on May 6 and said he expects to receive approval “any day” now.
With a permanent easement, the city will have permanent access to the lane to perform and upkeep any future maintenance, Stafford said.
Once the road is officially added to Ward 6’s list, which should be finalized by the end of May, the city will begin advertising for bids in late June or early July. A contractor should be selected by August or September, with construction expected to take place throughout the fall. Stafford said he hopes the project will be completed by the end of the year.
What improvements will be made?
Stafford estimates the stretch of road is only about 150 feet long and said the repairs won’t be extensive. Although he has not yet conducted a formal assessment, Stafford expects a full-depth asphalt repair along with new striping.
“It’s nothing expansive or anything different than what we’d do on any other street,” Stafford said. “But, just having been through there and knowing some of the potholes that are there, that’s more likely the only scope items that will need to happen through there to bring it back up to speed.”
In addition to surface repairs, a stop bar and edge striping will be added for drivers exiting Columbus Place to help clarify traffic flow and reduce the chance of vehicles entering the wrong way onto Highway 45.
“I haven’t witnessed anybody doing it, but I don’t disagree that somebody could go down the wrong way,” Stafford said. “… Sometimes people pick the wrong half. They shouldn’t. They should stay on the right side, but nonetheless, they can mess up.”
Stafford said the new stop bar and striping should help define the correct direction of travel. Traffic arrows will also be repainted to alleviate confusion.
Stafford said he opted not to recommend “Do Not Enter” signs, noting that placing them in the road’s median might confuse drivers even further.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
