CHARLOTTE – Drivers can expect new
traffic patterns as contractor Blythe Development works to tie in Sugar Creek
Road with the new bridge that will take vehicular traffic over the North
Carolina Railroad tracks, which are part of a busy main line between Raleigh and
Charlotte.
Beginning at noon Friday, June 8, crews will open a new alignment
that connects Davidson Street with Redwood Avenue at Sugar Creek Road. With this
new alignment, traffic on either Davidson and Redwood will be allowed to proceed
through the intersection, but motorists on either road will not be allowed to
turn onto Sugar Creek Road.
The grade separation project also calls for removing the current
intersection at Northmore Street and Sugar Creek Road. The new Davidson Street
alignment will coincide with closing Northmore Street and converting it to a cul
de sac.
The new traffic pattern Friday will also prompt the closure of
Sugar Creek Road between Atmore Street and Dinglewood Avenue; the closure will
allow workers to bring that portion of Sugar Creek Road up to the grade of the
new bridge over the railroad tracks. This section of Sugar Creek Road is
expected to reopen by this fall.
This rail corridor is one of the busiest in North Carolina, with
more than eight Amtrak trains and 30 Norfolk Southern trains passing through
daily. Freight volume is expected to double in the next 20 years, and passenger
train trips will increase to 20 per day by 2035.
This project will improve safety for both vehicle and rail
passengers by eliminating the risk of train-vehicle crashes, reducing travel
delays, and improving railroad capacity and efficiency in the corridor. The $43
million project is funded by NCDOT, the city of Charlotte, the North Carolina
Railroad Company, Norfolk Southern and the Federal Railroad Administration.