NCDOT is looking into widening Providence Road
NCDOT is looking into widening Providence Road
But it could be a long, long time. Plus: 13 Mecklenburg road projects delayed; CATS fires back on WFAE Silver Line article
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Preliminary analysis underway on busy Providence Road corridor — any improvements would be more than a decade away
by Tony Mecia
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 is exploring the possibility of widening Providence Road and improving several of its key intersections, an official told a community meeting in Ballantyne recently (with the slides above). The plans are very preliminary.
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 preliminary design for intersection improvements at Providence Road and Fairview/Sardis roads. It would be a project that is at least 10 years away, if ever. (Courtesy of N.C. Department of Transportation)
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.”
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Tony Mecia is executive editor of The Charlotte Ledger. Reach him at editor@cltledger.com.
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 Road widening — Mallard Creek Church Road to Breezewood Drive. Widen to 4 lanes. $32 million. [6/8/23: Corrected name of street to Mallard Creek Road]
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.
—Tony Mecia
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➡️ Geek out: If you want to see a more complete list of all state-funded local road projects, including those not delayed, check that out here from the local transportation planning organization. To check out the full 200-page statewide NCDOT capital plan, go here. (Mecklenburg County starts on page 128.)
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Related Transit Time article:
“A huge funding shortfall looms over North Carolina’s roads” (Nov. 11, 2021)
CATS slams ‘inappropriate attack-oriented’ WFAE article on Silver Line ridership projections
Charlotte Area Transit System officials are pushing back against a WFAE article that appeared in this newsletter last week on ridership projections through uptown for the proposed Silver Line light rail.
In a memo sent to local elected officials who serve on a regional transit board, CATS says the article by WFAE’s Steve Harrison “attempts to undermine staff’s credibility with this public attack and damages their professional reputation.” While CATS acknowledged making what it called “two minor errors,” the memo says the agency “did not misrepresent the project analysis or make up data.”
One of the errors included saying that the transit system’s preferred route had more riders by 2050, which was inaccurate.
The memo, obtained by WFAE, said CATS was “blindsided by the inappropriate attack-oriented nature of this article.”
The article, which appeared on WFAE’s website and was published in Transit Time last week, examined CATS’ reversal on the proposed Silver Line route through uptown. CATS initially favored a route through the middle of uptown, which it said would draw more riders. Six months later, it switched its recommendation to a route on the outskirts of uptown, and revised ridership projections showed that route would have more riders.
A CATS official was quoted in the article saying the agency “followed the facts wherever they took us.” The article quoted former CATS CEO Ron Tober saying: “From what I’ve seen so far, the ridership projections that they are making are really suspect.”
For the article, CATS and its consultant, WSP, declined to offer specifics on how they arrived at the new figures. In the memo this week, CATS said: “Any differences with the projections between June and January is attributable to improved design definition and understanding of the alternatives.” It said such changes are “customary and expected.”
A follow-up WFAE article on Tuesday said CATS new memo “did not address multiple problems” identified by the original article.
The media criticism by CATS follows objections by the agency and its backers to what they say is overhyped media coverage of CATS’ problems. For instance, officials and council members have described light rail derailments as routine maintenance issues and believe that media descriptions conjure images of trains toppling off the tracks, which is not accurate.
“I don’t believe that we have a serious problem about disclosure or candor at this point,” City Council member Ed Driggs said at a council meeting on Monday. “A whole lot of stuff has come out that normally wouldn’t even be newsworthy, but it is being reported meticulously.”
The Charlotte Ledger produces this Transit Time newsletter in partnership with WFAE. —Tony Mecia
➡️ Read last week’s article on the Silver Line.
➡️ Read CATS’ memo in response.
In brief…
CATS fires rail manager: The Charlotte Area Transit System fired its general manager of rail operations after the N.C. Department of Transportation criticized safety procedures with CATS’ light rail line. The manager had led CATS’ rail operations since December 2020. (WFAE)
Service adjustments: The Charlotte Area Transit System made minor adjustments to its schedule for buses, the Blue Line and the Gold Line streetcar. (Observer)
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Trying to "fix" congestion by widening streets is like trying to "cure" obesity by punching another hole in your belt. You "fix" congestion by, over time, creating more places where not everyone has to drive to get anywhere. You do this with: 1. Better pedestrian and bicycling amenities. 2. Land uses that don't make things so far apart you have to drive there. 3. Better mass transit. 4. Requiring more street connections so not EVERYONE has to get on Providence Road to go anywhere. Takes time, and is as much carrot as stick. And takes an NCDOT that sees itself as not just a highways department. Creating more pavement just induces more traffic. It's a temporary – and extremely expensive – nonfix.
Widening roads is not the answer. All that does is move the traffic and encourage more drivers. Instead, build mass transit, encourage work from home and wider distribution of commercial work spaces. There’s no reason for half the city to travel into uptown by car every day.