ROANOKE, Va. – Construction on Colonial Avenue near Virginia Western may be a headache for drivers, but for cyclist Edward Cake it has proven to be downright dangerous.
Pictures he took after crashing on the road when one of his bike tires got caught in the grooves shows his right arm heavily scrapped up.
Cake says he was able to get the contractor to fill the grooves, but shortly after, a storm washed away the filling and nothing has been done since.
After months of unsuccessfully trying to get the contractor to refill the grooves, Cake reached out to 10 News.
On Wednesday, 10 News reached out to the project manager but did not get a response.
"I think it's definitely a tricky area to navigate on a bike and the road is definitely rough and I think the drivers are confused around there," Cardinal Bicycles co-owner Stratton Delany said.
Delany is an avid cyclist.
He encourages cyclists to avoid the area if they can, but believes the construction is worthwhile.
"I think what they have planned is going to be a pretty nice thing, a lot safer for cyclists later."
Downshift Bikes owner Stephen Ambruzs agrees grooves in a road can make the road dangerous.
"If the rider has to swerve around something, it's going to put them into traffic, which is a potentially dangerous situation."
Dangerous, he says, not just for the cyclist but for drivers, as well.
The construction on Colonial Avenue is expected to be complete in January 2020.