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Drivers ignore detours during Mint Hill roundabout construction

By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com
By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com

MINT HILL, N.C. — The closure at the intersection of Idlewild Road and Highway 51 is causing a big mess for drivers in Mint Hill-Matthews.

Channel 9 saw that nearby parking lots turned into roadways, about 15 cars every minute.

Some drivers crisscrossed from one lot to the next.

“It's been a little hectic with all the cars going through, but we do like that it's open so the patients can get in here,” said Dr. Dennis Schoen, who has run his chiropractor business for the past 12 years here in a nearby lot.

The intersection was shut down completely on Friday, and this week businesses started to feel the impact.

“Maybe for the first day or two, it’s been slower than what it usually is,” said Hyun Kim, of Osaka Japanese Cuisine.

The project entails turning this busy intersection, which sees 38,000 cars a day, from traffic signals to roundabout.

(Video of cars using this parking lot to avoid the detour from construction in Mint Hill)

Sue Myers, who lives in Union County, said she is frustrated with her new route to the gym.

"You see the traffic coming through here,” Myers said. “There's no decent detour set up. I had to go through a road that said 'no through' traffic and around Food Lion."

Myers worries someone will get hurt.

"There's children here,” Myers said. “This is Curves. It's not younger women, it’s us ladies (who) are older and I think it's a dangerous way to do it.”

North Carolina Department of Transportation said it has no plans to change the detours.

They encourage drivers not to use parking lots as alternate routes. Instead, they ask drivers be patient for another eight weeks.

When Channel 9 drove one of the detours from the gas station on Idlewild Road to the other side of the intersection, it took 20 minutes and 12 miles.

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