CHARLOTTE, NC - Shortterm fixes with taxpayer money. The Charlotte Department of Transportation paves a neighborhood road off Independence Blvd, even though the North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to tear it up as part of widening the state highway.

It's the latest chapter in this long-delayed road project saga.

FOX Charlotte learns that parts of the project that will impact residential homeowners could be pushed up to four years.

"Thanks to you now, my yard looks a heck of a lot better but the stumps remain," said East Charlotte resident Earl "Buddy" Springer.

He's happier now that Duke Energy fixed his front yard. It was left a mess after trees were cut down to make way for utility poles. Such right-of-way projects are scheduled because construction on widening Independence Boulevard was suppose to begin in June.

"Now your saying, adding another three years to it possibly," asked Springer.

It could be three, even possibly four years before Springer's neighborhood on Charleston Drive is even impacted by any state road construction.

A spokesperson for Charlotte DOT anticipates taking that long, after FOX Charlotte asked why the city recently re-paved Charleston, even though NC DOT has plans to tear it up.

"'We don't care what the state does,' that's exactly their words," said Springer, recalling what the city road crew told him when he asked why they were re-paving his street.  "'We never do what they want to, and they don't do what we want to, we don't like each other'."

NC DOT project plans call for a round-about to direct traffic from North Sharon Amity Road to Independence Blvd, by way of Charleston Drive.

At a cost of $6,000, city engineers felt Charleston needed to be repaved because it was unsafe.

"No way, it was fine," said Springer, "I mean it wasn't the best street in Charlotte, but it was darn better than Independence."

"They want to expedite the project, they don't want any hold ups, and now there's a hold up," said Ed Garber with Eastside PAC. 

He's been working with the city to move construction on Independence Blvd along. But as FOX Charlotte reported Sunday, Mayor Anthony Foxx is asking NC DOT for a four-month delay because the city wants a mass transit corridor redesign.

In the meantime, buildings are closing, houses are empty, and money is being spent on temporary fixes.

"But jeez, that's like millions of dollars, that's tax revenue, that's jobs, that are gone," said Garber.

Charleston Drive residents tell FOX Charlotte that they're being told other neighborhood projects, like sidewalks scheduled to start this year, are now being pushed to 2013.