Rowan County residents upset about NCDOT's road project

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By Mark Barber

CHINA GROVE, N.C. — Construction crews said some residents in southern Rowan County fired BB guns at their trucks because they are upset about a road project in their backyards.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is constructing a new road between I-85 and Lentz Road in China Grove.

Workers are so concerned about their safety that they have a deputy guarding them.

When residents moved to Backwoods Lane, they thought they would always live on a quiet country road, but now it's more like a busy city filled with construction.

"It will almost vibrate your house,” resident Jerry Miles said. “It's hard on people trying to sleep."

Miles’ street is the construction zone.

"It's not a pretty picture that's been painted, not when you're used to living in tranquility, you know?" Miles said.

Miles said there isn't much he can do because the state road project is exempt from the county's noise ordinance.

Still, construction contractors said other residents have tried to stop them.

Two of the companies building the road told Channel 9 they think neighbors shot their equipment with BB guns.

Crews said the vandals struck overnight within the past two weeks, throwing rocks through more than half a dozen windows.

Workers said they are worried about their safety and that the damage is nearly $100,000.

"I don't know what they hope to accomplish like that because I don't think they're going to close the project down,” Miles said. “They've gone too far with it."

NCDOT officials said an off-duty deputy is now guarding crews at night.

The workers said the project is progress, but Miles said it's painful to see and hear.

"These people see an opportunity to develop,” Miles said. “That's what they're doing, but in the meantime, people who have been here for years and paid their taxes, we just have to take it. It's a bitter pill."

Construction workers told Channel 9 this project probably won't be finished for another three years.

Residents said that's an awfully long time to endure all the noise and disruption.

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