ARCHDALE – The N.C. Department of
Transportation has chosen a design that will reduce congestion and improve
safety where Main Street and Interstate 85 meet in the city of Archdale.
Based on public feedback, input from city officials and traffic
data and other studies, the department’s preferred option (Alternative 1B) is
constructing a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at I-85 and Main Street;
replacing the center turn lane with a landscaped and concrete median; and adding
sidewalks on both sides of the street between Columbus Avenue and Comanche Road,
among other improvements.
Under a DDI, motorists temporarily cross to the other side of the
road while traffic flows freely from or onto the interstate. The design improves
traffic flow without requiring more traffic signals or lanes. The department is
using more of these designs, with over a dozen around the state already. This
NCDOT video
shows how they operate.
“This design will make it easier to access the interstate and
reduce traffic back-ups during rush hour in Archdale,” said Jeffrey Teague, the
project team leader for the department’s Highway Division 8. “And adding the
median along Main Street will dramatically reduce the risk of serious
crashes.”
At a public
meeting in November, NCDOT representatives presented two design
alternatives. They were mostly the same, except Alternative 1B included a new
frontage road for businesses off Balfour Drive that will allow left or right
turns onto North Main Street with a new traffic signal.
The department is announcing its preferred alternative in a
newsletter going out this week to people who attended the meeting or live or own
property in the vicinity of the project, which also includes adding lanes on
each off- and on-ramp at I-85 and Main Street.
The project remains on schedule for land acquisition to begin next
year, followed by construction in 2021.
Media Contact: Andrew Barksdale
919-707-2662
acbarksdale@ncdot.gov