CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some families in Plaza Midwood are asking "Where's the money" as a construction project led by Duke Energy stretches into its seventh month.
The project is supposed to help families by taking powerlines underground to cut down on outages, but delays have led to frustration and costly damage for some who say their cars and businesses have been affected.
“I get really worried about my tires and the suspension of my car,” Derrick San, who lives in Plaza Midwood, told WCNC Charlotte's Kayland Hagwood.
Marlow Nollie, who works in the area, shared San's frustration about the roads.
"It’s too many speedbumps, you know?" Nollie said. "They could’ve torn up the rest of the road to make it easy. It's messing up suspensions. Definitely, you know, if you have a nice car."
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
Yazan Humaideh owns Sip City Market and Bottle Shop, a community gathering place offering drinks and unique gifts for patrons. The construction is happening on Central Avenue, right in front of his store.
"[It's] very disruptive to a small business, to several small businesses, in the neighborhood," Humaideh said.
After seeing the impact the construction had on his business, Humaideh decided to take his frustrations online, posting a short clip to Sip City's Instagram questioning the timeline.
"I literally have no idea how this has been going on since November of last year," he said. "How many times can you dig up the same freaking street and redig it again? I don't get it ... the math doesn't math."
In less than two days, the video received more than 12,000 views with many agreeing in the comments calling the project "infuriating" and "never-ending."
"I didn't realize [the video] was going to blow up," Humaideh said. "That validates that I'm not the only person frustrated with this.”
WCNC Charlotte took their concerns to Duke Energy, who said heavy traffic and other infrastructure are partly to blame.
"We kind of estimated where we would have to place those lines underground and we ended up having to place them a little bit deeper underground than we thought we would," Logan Stewart, a Duke Energy spokesperson, said, "and that was just because once we got underground, you know, other utilities have infrastructure underground and so, some of their infrastructure was a little bit deeper than we had anticipated.”
Stewart added that the public safety project is needed because of the "high frequency of cars hitting utility poles," but Humaideh said, "the math is still not matching."
“I don't want to be the person that complains. I know they're doing something good for the long term," Humaideh said. "But the craziness of digging up the same spot over and over.”
Humaideh went back to social media, posting a second video. This time, offering to help Duke Energy get the job done sooner.
“Duke Energy, I’ve decided to take this upon myself," he said, but the company said they've got it covered.
“We do want to thank our customers for their patience," Stewart said. "We know that this type of work can be disruptive.”
The work is now expected to wrap up by mid-September.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte's Where's The Money series is all about leveling the playing field in the Carolinas by helping others and breaking down barriers. WCNC Charlotte doesn't want our viewers to be taken advantage of, so we’re here to help. Watch previous stories where we ask the question “Where’s the Money” in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.