HENRICO, Va. (WTVR)- Linda Stone says she hates the thought of driving on some Henrico roads near her West End home. Recently, she has noticed several newly paved streets that have no lines or markings for drivers. “They’re a necessity. No sooner than it’s paved, I think lines should be put down” Stone told CBS 6 News.
The busy stretch of Parham Road near Midway which was recently paved went without road stripes a little too long for her taste. That area is not far from Stone’s home.
“When it's wet, oh my God. It’s an accident waiting to happen. You can’t see and people are all over the place trying to find the lane” Stone explained.
Not too far away from Linda’s neighborhood, our cameras spotted unmarked areas along Gayton Road and Pump Road. Other neighbors, like Judson Musick say while they’re not completely upset about it, they still can’t understand why it has taken the county more than a week or two to get the areas marked.
"How difficult can it be? I did notice that they did come out and put a white stripe along the edge of the road but they didn’t mark the middle of the road with lines. When I saw the stripe on the edge, I thought they would just finish the work tomorrow, but that was early last week” Musick explained.
Linwood Powers who has lived in the Gayton Road area for years says he and his wife share mixed views on the unmarked roads. “My lovely wife is more into aesthetics, but I’m more into safety. I like lines. It’s a safety factor to me” Powers added.
CBS 6 News took neighbors’ concerns to Steve Yobs who is with the department of public works. He says they’re working as quickly as they can to get all the projects done. In the meantime, they'll rely on signs to keep drivers alert. Those orange unmarked pavement ahead signs are visible on several Henrico roads. Yobs says that’s because right now they have dozens of repaving projects going on.
“The signs are to remind drivers that they are still in a work zone and should slow down and proceed with caution" Yobs told CBS 6 News. He added that it’s not uncommon at all to pave a road and have a little lag time before the markings are done.
A lot of it depends on the weather. Yobs says some of the markings are done with a special tape and the roadway has to be dry for it to properly stick to the road.
He also mentioned that a harsh winter left the county with no choice but to resurface dozens of roads across Henrico. Now he says crews are all pulling overtime to get the work done. Some drivers say they’re just anxious to see the projects completed, so they can breathe a little easier.
