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TRAFFIC ALERT: East 7th Street closure extended again

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A major intersection in Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood will be closed a month longer than first planned.

Since May 24, Seventh Street has been closed at Hawthorne Lane for streetcar construction. It has forced thousands of drivers to take a detour every day.

The intersection was supposed to open June 19, but the reopening got pushed back to June 30, and now crews said the closure will last until July 14.

Upset residents told Eyewitness News Anchor Blaine Tolison they are dealing with a dangerous traffic situation.

Neighbors said there is too much traffic on 8th Street between Louis and Lamar Avenues, and drivers are not slowing down.

Neighbors put up their own cones and signs to warn drivers.

"Please slow down. We live here,” said Cassie Hatch, a mother of three children. “We have small kids who play here."

Elizabeth Schultz said some have even dealt with damage to their cars.

"Some of our cars have been accidentally hit with mirrors and stuff,” Schultz said. “It's too much traffic to kind of filter through."

Crews closed the intersection for underground work related to phase two of the Lynx Gold Line, a project that won’t be completed for another three years. When all the construction is done, the Gold Line will come through Elizabeth.

 

Adults running the Charlotte Bike Camp for kids said they weren't prepared.

The group planned their camp on once quiet streets that are now main thoroughfares with surprises around every corner.

"We move slower than cars and that's a learning curve for all of us,” said Charlotte Cadieux, one of the camp's coordinators.

Charlotte Area Transit System officials responded to a Channel 9 email and that explained crews have been working on underground utilities, which fill with water and mud when it rains, that is causing the delay.

The owner of Adams 7th Street Market, located next to the construction, told Channel 9 he has lost 50 percent of his customers.

Parents in the area fear something worse than loss of business and are concerned someone is going to get hurt.

"We have begged people to slow down and people just don't care,” Hatch said.

The detour through 8th Street between Louis and Lamar avenues is intended for local traffic only.

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