'Unstable soil' at light rail construction site forces road closure

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Another road closure in NoDa has community members and business leaders worried.

North Davidson Street in Charlotte is closing between Craighead Road and 36th Street for the next month.

NoDa residents said the construction on the Blue Line Extension has made getting around the neighborhood difficult at times.

"It's been two years now. It has definitely had a damper on a lot of our business," James McLellan, of Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen, said.

It hasn't been easy for Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen because construction has surrounded the restaurant for two years, and starting Friday evening, more is on the way.

"We'll deal with it the best we can, but it is quite frustrating," he said. "I don't know if there is anything we can do about it now."

Channel 9 has learned crews installing the Blue Line Extension discovered what they call unsuitable soil.

More road closures in NoDa. Unstable soil conditions forcing an emergency road closure. Details at 5:30 @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/pKscdYBqOL
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 13, 2016

It isn't strong enough to support the weight of the structure and that means all of the soil will have to be removed and replaced, forcing North Davidson Street to shut down for a month between 36th Street and Craighead Road.

"It's really going to be a big mess and there are going to be wrecks everywhere," resident Renee Thompson said.

Residents worry about more changes to the neighborhood. They said NoDa is already tough to get to and more construction could impact business.

While it may be a headache now, McLellan hopes it will be worth it.

"The Blue Line Extension is going to have a big impact on us," he said. "It should be an outstanding thing when it happens.

Progress on the Blue Line Extension continues. It is set to open in 2017.

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