Camden Road has been a notorious bottleneck in Cumberland County for years. In fact, its intersection with Hope Mills Road is widely considered one of the worst points of congestion in the region. People who live or work along one of these roads know that it’s a problem of poor planning. Many drivers are emerging from six lane Interstate 95 to one lane Main Street in Hope Mills. It causes horrible traffic jams. Moreover, the spot has been the scene of numerous dangerous accidents.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is in the midst of a widening project on Camden Road. Costing a total of nearly $14 million, the project will turn Camden into a four lane road for an approximately 1.1 mile section. The Camden Road widening is actually just a portion of a larger three phase project.
Project U-2810 began with the first phase in 2013. Dozens of private homes and businesses were taken in an eminent domain action brought by the NCDOT. After purchasing the properties, the NCDOT set about demolishing them to make way for phase two of the project, which involves the actual widening of Camden.
This stretch of Camden Road between the Hope Mills Bypass and Oakland Avenue is always bustling. In the last several years, dozens of businesses have sprung up along it. Hotels, restaurants and stores all vie for the attention of passersby. It’s an economically important part of Cumberland County.
Unfortunately, many of those businesses were in the way of the NCDOT. Many homeowners have also been affected by the project or may be contacted by the NCDOT in the coming months. It’s frightening for property owners to be contacted by government officials and told that their property is being condemned. They offer money as compensation, but it’s extraordinarily difficult for citizens to know if the amount they are being offered is fair.
That’s where the North Carolina eminent domain lawyers at Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog come in. Their vast depth of knowledge regarding condemnation actions in North Carolina make them the ideal choice when it comes to protecting your rights as a property owner.
The NCDOT and its representatives aren’t above using high pressure tactics to coerce property owners into signing on the dotted line. Their job is made easier when home and business owners simply accept what’s being offered. However, property owners have rights in eminent domain actions. The most basic of these is just compensation. Without legal representation, it would be virtually impossible for the average person to determine the just compensation for their parcel of property. Contact Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog if you believe your property will be affected by the Camden Road widening project.