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.
+1 for mass transit. Figure out bus routes and how to make it attractive to commuters. After 10 + years, whatever plan and budget will be rubbish anyway. Buses would be a great solution if you can get riders.
This segment was covered in NCDOT Feasibility Study (FS-1810D) in 2018. This study considered two build alternatives: widening to 6 lanes or a 4 lane superstreet. Although an outside firm was contracted to look at volume impact of various alternatives, NCDOT ran out of money and the project was shelved. It also doesn't address the segment between Rea/Alexander and Sardis/Fairview. According to NCDOT traffic counts the highest volume between McKee and Sardis/Fairview is at Folger Drive. Since the initial Feasibility Study, City Council has approved 8 petitions along Providence road that will add over 23,000 new trips. There are 3 additional petitions in the works that would add an estimated 18,000 trips in the Old Providence road/Sardis Lane area. City council does not want to discuss limiting development to allow infrastructure to catch up. In a meeting with Deputy Director of CDOT, he strongly discouraged consideration of any type of "congestion overlay" to help mitigate the congestion problem.
To widen is to invite more development which invites more widening. Intersections need help, but congestion needs a different solution lest we want to be Atlanta or Nashville.
Always spending on the south side versus the west/southwest side such as Steele Creek, despite the River District….no infrastructure to handle the growth.
This city has a problem. It approves and encourages all this development without improving the infrastructure first. Case in point - South Blvd has been under construction for years upon years, as the city scrambles to bring sewer capacity in line with the thousands of apartments that have sprung up. The same thing is about to happen in NoDa. Fix the infrastructure before approving all the development. It's not that hard, but somehow Charlotte officials cannot see this.
I replied “Who Care’s” because the NCDOT proposed “10 yr wait list” is a joke as is the funding from the legislature. It seems as if NC’s #1 economic engine and largest metro area #CLT is not a priority.
Since the local governments do NOT extract appropriate “user fees”/ budget for infrastructure improvements from developers (who for some reason get a free pass, so keep overstressing the existing infrastructure to their profit but to the public’s detriment) we, the residents, suffer.
Until local governmental bodies begin to give a damn by prioritizing quality of life > tax revenue and our elected representatives at each level of govt are held responsible, NOTHING will happen.
Not widening Steele Creek Rd until 2029 is absolutely ridiculous. Traffic on that road is already a nightmare and new construction is continuing to happen.
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.
+1 for mass transit. Figure out bus routes and how to make it attractive to commuters. After 10 + years, whatever plan and budget will be rubbish anyway. Buses would be a great solution if you can get riders.
CATS leadership sure has some thin skin. I guess some people only want good journalism if it fits their narrative?
This segment was covered in NCDOT Feasibility Study (FS-1810D) in 2018. This study considered two build alternatives: widening to 6 lanes or a 4 lane superstreet. Although an outside firm was contracted to look at volume impact of various alternatives, NCDOT ran out of money and the project was shelved. It also doesn't address the segment between Rea/Alexander and Sardis/Fairview. According to NCDOT traffic counts the highest volume between McKee and Sardis/Fairview is at Folger Drive. Since the initial Feasibility Study, City Council has approved 8 petitions along Providence road that will add over 23,000 new trips. There are 3 additional petitions in the works that would add an estimated 18,000 trips in the Old Providence road/Sardis Lane area. City council does not want to discuss limiting development to allow infrastructure to catch up. In a meeting with Deputy Director of CDOT, he strongly discouraged consideration of any type of "congestion overlay" to help mitigate the congestion problem.
To widen is to invite more development which invites more widening. Intersections need help, but congestion needs a different solution lest we want to be Atlanta or Nashville.
Always spending on the south side versus the west/southwest side such as Steele Creek, despite the River District….no infrastructure to handle the growth.
This city has a problem. It approves and encourages all this development without improving the infrastructure first. Case in point - South Blvd has been under construction for years upon years, as the city scrambles to bring sewer capacity in line with the thousands of apartments that have sprung up. The same thing is about to happen in NoDa. Fix the infrastructure before approving all the development. It's not that hard, but somehow Charlotte officials cannot see this.
How about a traffic roundabout. Them seem to be working in Carmel IN
I replied “Who Care’s” because the NCDOT proposed “10 yr wait list” is a joke as is the funding from the legislature. It seems as if NC’s #1 economic engine and largest metro area #CLT is not a priority.
Since the local governments do NOT extract appropriate “user fees”/ budget for infrastructure improvements from developers (who for some reason get a free pass, so keep overstressing the existing infrastructure to their profit but to the public’s detriment) we, the residents, suffer.
Until local governmental bodies begin to give a damn by prioritizing quality of life > tax revenue and our elected representatives at each level of govt are held responsible, NOTHING will happen.
Not widening Steele Creek Rd until 2029 is absolutely ridiculous. Traffic on that road is already a nightmare and new construction is continuing to happen.