State transportation officials are in the early stages of developing plans to widen Providence Road and improve several of its busiest intersections.
But don’t get too excited (or outraged) — any improvements to Providence Road, one of the main arteries between south Charlotte and uptown, would be at least 10 years away.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has started what it calls feasibility studies on two projects:
- Widening Providence Road between Rea/Alexander roads and the Union County line.
- Improving intersections on Providence Road at Wendover Road, Fairview/Sardis roads and Sharon Lane/Sharon Amity roads.
NCDOT engineer Brent Canipe told residents of the plans at a community meeting in Ballantyne in April. In an interview afterward with The Charlotte Ledger, he said the department is working to figure out some of the basics, like traffic volume and potential costs.
“You’ve got to know how many cars are coming, where they’re coming from,” he said. “You determine the amount of lanes that are necessary to accommodate them, whether you need a bridge, whether you need some other type of innovative treatment. We’re just not there yet.”
There is no state funding committed toward Providence Road, and the potential projects are not in the state’s 10-year planning document. Once NCDOT completes its studies, the projects could be placed in a future 10-year plan and compete for funding.
An NCDOT spokeswoman said this week that the department is still working on cost estimates but has developed a series of draft designs for intersections. The preliminary drawings seem to show adding turn lanes, which are a tight fit on some corners with existing buildings:
A traffic forecast from 2019 shows 44,500 cars a day south of Fairview Road, which would increase to 48,800 a day by 2045. That’s pre-pandemic, of course — but even if commuting patterns are different, Providence is still often clogged.
“Providence Road is a real issue,” City Council member Ed Driggs said at a council committee meeting this week, noting that there are development plans along the corridor. “We heard at my town hall that as far as the state is concerned, any widening of Providence Road or improvements to Providence Road are out there in sort of never-never land.”
Charlotte-area road projects delayed — including Johnson Road, Steele Creek Road, Independence Boulevard intersections
The N.C. Department of Transportation this week signed off on a new 10-year road-building plan that pushes back some major construction projects in the Charlotte area.
The new schedule delays 13 projects in Mecklenburg by a year or two, according to the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization — including interchange improvements to Independence Boulevard, widening a five-mile section of Steele Creek Road (N.C. 160) in Steele Creek and widening a three-mile stretch of Johnston Road (U.S. 521) in Ballantyne.
Many more local road projects remain on schedule.
NCDOT has been battling high construction costs and land acquisition costs, which have strained its ability to move projects forward on their earlier timetables. It said in a news release this week that the new plan, called the 2024-2033 State Transportation Improvement Program, “aligns with financial expectations for the next 10 years, making it more reliable for the Department and its partners.”
Here’s the list of the new timelines for the 13 Mecklenburg County projects, with the projects start dates of construction:
Moved from 2024 to 2025
- East John Street/Old Monroe Road widening — East of I-485 to west of Morningside Meadow Lane. $34 million.
Moved from 2025 to 2026
- I-77 and N.C. 73 interchange improvements — Upgrade existing interchanges to split diamond configuration. $44 million.
Moved from 2025 to 2027
- N.C. 51 multi-use path — Construct multi-use path on south side of N.C. 51 from Trade Street to Independence Pointe Parkway. $860,000.
Moved from 2026 to 2028
- U.S. 521 (Lancaster Highway/Johnston Road) widening — South Carolina state line to Ballantyne Commons Parkway. Widen to multi-lanes. $54 million.
Moved from 2027 to 2028
- Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) — new interchange. Sharon Forest Drive and Harris Boulevard/Village Lake Drive intersection area. Construct grade separation and Sharon Forest Drive and interchange at Village Lake Drive. $107 million.
- Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) – new express lanes, general lanes and interchange. West of Idlewild Road to Wallace Lane. Add general purpose and express lanes and construct express lane interchange on west side of Conference Drive. $51 million.
- Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) — Sardis Road North and Sam Newell Road interchange areas. Construct interchanges at Sardis Road North and Sam Newell Road. $115 million. $115 million.
- Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) — Independence Pointe Parkway. Construct roadway on new location from Windsor Square Drive to N.C. 51 (Matthews Township Parkway). $32 million.
- Independence Boulevard (U.S. 74) — Matthews-Mint Hill Road. Construct interchange at Matthews-Mint Hill Road and extension of Northeast Parkway from Overcash Drive to Waiting Street. $80 million.
Moved from 2028 to 2029
- N.C. 160 (Steele Creek Road) widening — N.C. 49 (South Tryon Street) to I-485. Widen to multi-lanes. $138 million.
- N.C. 27 (Freedom Drive) widening — Toddsville Road to Moores Chapel Road. Widen to 4 lanes. $32 million.
Moved from 2028 to 2030
- Mallard Creek Church Road widening — Mallard Creek Church Road to Breezewood Drive. Widen to 4 lanes. $32 million.
Moved from 2030 to 2031
- N.C. 115 (Old Statesville Road) widening — N.C. 24 (Harris Boulevard) to I-485. Widen to multi-lanes. $45 million.