I-277 RAMP TO I-77 NORTH CLOSED (Saturday) -- The ramp from John Belk Freeway/I-277 inner loop onto I-77 North will be CLOSED from 7 a.m. through 11 a.m. on Saturday.  Crews will be clearing a drain.  Use Brookshire Freeway as an alternate route between Independence Blvd., Uptown Charlotte, and I-77.  Local traffic should use John Belk Freeway to the Freedom Dr. exit (just past I-77) to Morehead St. (turn right) to the I-77 North entrance ramp as an alternate route.

BACK TO SCHOOL TRAFFIC ALERT (August 25th) -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools heads back to class on Tuesday, August 25th.  Expect significant congestion on all roadways and allow extra time for the morning commute.  Traffic will be heaviest the first 2-3 days as parents drive their children to school and bus drivers get acclimated to new routes.

The Four Worst Traffic Trouble Spots:  Traffic Team 9 has researched the worst school-related traffic trouble spots in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district:

• Old Statesville Rd. between Huntersville and the Harris Blvd. area.  North Mecklenburg High School, Alexander Middle School, and Blythe Elementary School are all located within one mile of each other on normally-congested Old Statesville Rd.  Expect significant delays from 6:45 a.m. through 7:45 a.m., and from 8:30 a.m. through 9 a.m.  Use Statesville Rd., use I-77, or use Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. to Northlake Center Parkway (left) to Harris Blvd. (left), as alternate routes.
• Park Rd. between Johnston Rd. and Sharon Road West.  South Mecklenburg High School, Quail Hollow Middle School, and Smithfield Elementary School are all clustered in this area.  Significant delays are expected from 6:45 a.m. through 7:45 a.m., and again from 8:30 a.m. through 9 a.m.  From the Pineville-Matthews Rd. area, use Carmel Rd. to Quail Hollow Rd. (left) to Sharon Rd. (continue straight) as an alternate route into the SouthPark area.  Use I-485 to South Blvd. (right) as an alternate route traveling toward Tyvola Rd. and Uptown Charlotte.
• Monroe Rd. between Village Lake Dr. and Rama Rd.  East Mecklenburg High School and Greenway Park Elementary School both cause congestion and delays.  Expect slow traffic from 6:45 a.m. through 7:45 a.m.  Use Sardis Rd. North (right) to Independence Blvd. (left) as an alternate route traveling toward Uptown Charlotte.
• Pineville-Matthews Rd. between Providence Rd. and Alexander Rd.  Providence High School traffic and commuters combine to cause significant backups (and sometimes, accidents) from 6:45 a.m. through 7:30 a.m.  Local traffic should use Alexander Rd. (right) to Providence Rd. (left) as an alternate route.  Commuters should use I-485 as an alternate route between the Matthews area and Rea Rd.

New Schools Will Cause Unexpected Delays:   Two new schools will bring congestion to busy commuter routes:

• Mt. Holly-Huntersville Rd. near Mt. Holly Rd.  The new River Oaks Academy will create new traffic problems from 8:15 a.m. through 8:45 a.m.  Use I-485 as an alternate route between Mt. Holly Rd. and Brookshire Blvd.
• Ridge Rd. near Highland Creek Parkway.  The new Ridge Rd. Middle School will create new traffic problems from 7:45 a.m. through 8:15 a.m.  Use Johnston-Oehler Rd. as an alternate route between Prosperity Church Rd. and Mallard Creek Rd.

Idlewild Rd. Elementary School Traffic Changes:   The student drop-off entrance has been relocated to Idlewild Rd. (from a side street), meaning the drop-off line could block the right lane of Idlewild Rd between 9 a.m. and 9:20 a.m.  Use Harris Blvd. (left) to Independence Blvd. (right) as an alternate route.

HIGHWAY 218 CONSTRUCTION (through November 20th) -- Significant delays are expected on Highway 218 between Mint Hill and Polkton through November 20th as NCDOT repaves and upgrades the highway.  Crews will not be allowed to block lanes from 6 a.m. through 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, but delays are possible at all other times. 

• If traveling to the beach from south Charlotte, use Providence Rd. to Highway 84 in Weddington (turn left) to Highway 74 in Monroe.  Highway 84 makes a few turns in Monroe, so be sure to pay attention to the signs.  This alternate route will avoid the congestion on both Highway 74 and Highway 218. 
• If traveling to the beach from east Charlotte or Mint Hill, use Highway 24/27 (Albemarle Rd.) to Highway 205 (turn right in Red Cross) to Highway 742 in Oakboro.  Highway 742 will join Highway 74 in Wadesboro, helping you avoid the construction delays on Highway 218.

NEW TOWN RD. CLOSED (through September 22nd) -- New Town Rd. will be CLOSED between Chambwood Rd. and Potter Rd. through September 22nd.  Crews will be replacing a culvert.  Local traffic should use Chambwood Rd. to Potter Rd. as an alternate route.  Commuters should use Highway 84 as an alternate route between Providence Rd. and the Monroe area.

SAM DRENAN RD. CLOSED (until further notice) -- Sam Drenan Rd. is CLOSED between Marney Ave. and Burkland Dr. after the road was washed out during heavy rains.  There is currently no estimate for when repairs will be completed.  Use Burkland Dr. to Marvin Rd. (right) to Billingsley Rd. (right) to Randolph Rd. (right) as an alternate route out of the neighborhood.

GOLDMINE RD. CLOSED (through August 20th) -- Goldmine Rd. is CLOSED between Rocky River Rd. and Seymour St. due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. extension project.  The road is expected to reopen on August 20th.  Use Rocky River Rd. to Highway 84, or use Rocky River Rd. to Old Charlotte Highway, as alternate routes into downtown Monroe.

HIGHWAY 321 DELAYS (construction between Lenoir and Blowing Rock) -- NCDOT is widening Highway 321 between Lenoir and Blowing Rock.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, crews often close Highway 321 from noon through 2 p.m. for blasting operations.  The best alternate route is to avoid traveling between Lenoir and Blowing Rock during early afternoon hours, as all available detours are quite long.  If traveling from Charlotte, consider using I-77 North to Highway 421 (Exit 73, north of Statesville), and then follow Highway 421 North into Boone.  From Lenoir, use NC 18 to US 421, or use US 64 (to Morganton) to NC 181 (to Linville) to US 221 (to Blowing Rock,) as alternate routes.