GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- "They come through here so fast. We see the ambulance come through here about 4-5 times a day. Especially when it rains, we are waiting for the sirens to go because we know what's going happen," said Paul Welch, co-owner of Nadu's Auto Shop.
Welch works on cars at his shop at the intersection of West Market Street and Guilford College Road, at the center of a construction project.
For years, he has seen bright orange cones and busy traffic from his work garage.
"I just wish it could be done with. It's been taking three years; it's been taking a long time now going on four," Welch said.
He says the slow progress has been an ongoing challenge and has even affected his small business.
"It's been a mess, they shut us down for about a month. The bad weather, it's been raining. They come out here trying to make up the difference, and they shut us down," he said.
According to the Greensboro Department of Transportation, the goal of the estimated $8.2 million project is to widen the road, add turn lanes, sidewalks on each side of the intersection and upgrade the traffic signals.
"This project has dragged on forever, and for those of us who live in the area, who use the area, it's been a big problem," Greensboro City Councilwoman Tammi Thurm said.
There's also been confusion.
"The traffic pattern keeps changing, for the poor businesses it's always a challenge for people to access their businesses," Thurm said.
The Greensboro City Council approved a construction contract with Triangle Grading and Paving Inc. based in Burlington worth more than $4.7 million in June 2017. Construction began in February 2018.
There have been several conflicts contributing to the delays in the construction including a need to move utility lines, and performance issues with the contractor.
Thurm says now there is another unexpected delay.
"There's some questions about the specifications of the islands that were recently poured, apparently there is some changes in specifications or something in that nature," Thurm said.
City leaders were hoping for the project to be completed by November.
"I wouldn't hazard a completion date at this point," Thurm said.
The project is being paid for from a combination of federal, state, and city funds.
We also reached out to the Greensboro Department of Transportation to see if there is an expected completion date, but no one was immediately available to answer that question.
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