NCDOT considers delaying widening project in Steele Creek neighborhood

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a cold January morning, construction crews covered nearly every corner of the Berewick neighborhood in Steele Creek.

The crews were working on three new hotels, dozens of new apartments and a handful of new businesses.

[ALSO READ: Drivers, local business owners frustrated with Charlotte road-widening delays]

Despite the development boom and all the extra traffic in the area, construction on the crowded roads hasn't begun.

“Rush hour is absolutely no joke. You have to plan ahead to travel down this road," driver Sally Phipps said. “I wish they would start tomorrow. I think the sooner the better for this, for all of this.”

Channel 9 has learned the critical road widening project to expand Highway 160 from Interstate 485 to the state line could be delayed by three years.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation had planned to widen the road in 2021. Now it’s considering delaying construction until 2024.

[ALSO READ: Major Rock Hill road project a year behind schedule]

One reason NCDOT is considering the three-year delay is, it wants to make sure Steele Creek doesn't outgrow the new road.

Spokesperson Jen Thompson said, “We want to ensure that whatever product is delivered that the final product is going to operate at an acceptable level of service, so we just need some more time to do that.”

Neighbors don’t think construction should wait, because development isn’t waiting. Traffic has nearly tripled over the past 15 years.

Driver Donna Poteat told Channel 9's Mark Barber, “It’s too much, but I can’t do anything about it."

State Rep. Chaz Beasley is going to try. He lives in Steele Creek and is one of the 34,000 drivers who wait in the backups every day.

He told Channel 9 he will continue advocating for an earlier construction date.

[ALSO READ: Huntersville homeowners concerned over Highway 73 widening project]

“We have to make sure we’re staying on top of it and that NCDOT knows how important it is that we get this done," Beasley said.

Neighbors will have an opportunity in February to tell NCDOT their concerns. The time and location for that public comment session has not been made public yet.

NCDOT's board will receive residents' feedback and then decide in June whether to approve the three-year delay.

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