A long-delayed highway finally opened, but neighbors are dealing with the mess

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — After years of work, a long-awaited stretch of highway is finally open in Cabarrus County, but not all of the neighbors are thrilled by the results.

The majority of the construction is finished on Highway 3. Traffic cones are a rare sight, and the constant noise of heavy machinery is a thing of the past.

Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz learned that after four years of delays, some neighbors like Jack and Julia Lotito are still dealing with headaches.

“We’re glad, we’re glad that they’re gone. I just wish they could have done a better job here,” the Lotitos told Goetz on Monday.

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Crews started widening the highway in the summer of 2020. Then, a four-month project turned into four years.

“It’s Hell, it has been Hell,” the Lotitos said.

Despite the road being back open, the Lotitos say they’re upset about the mess left behind in their yard. They say construction even damaged their cars.

“We have beautiful flowering trees here that they just came in and ripped out arbitrarily, and this is what they left us, so it’s really disappointing,” Julia said.

The Lotitos say they’ve seen no change, even after they say someone promised to come out and assess the damage last week.

“It’s bad enough you can’t get the construction company to come back and do the right thing, but when you can’t get [the Department of Transportation] to back you up, it just doesn’t make any sense, because we’re taxpayers,” Jack said.

Channel 9 reached out to NCDOT for comment on Monday and asked if there would be answers for Jack and Julia. They said their office is closed for the holiday, but we will let you know when they get back to us.

(VIDEO: South End businesses say construction workers are taking up parking, making it hard for customers)