CONCORD – An entrance to Concord Mills is expected to close next week as construction resumes on the project to improve access to the mall.
The mall entrance across from Kings Grant Pavilion, closest to Interstate 85, is set to close from Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. until the new flyover bridge from Concord Mills Boulevard into the mall is completed. The current schedule calls for the bridge to be opened to traffic in the fall of 2020, followed by full completion in the summer of 2021.
“The roadwork enhancements are intended to provide a long-term solution to traffic and parking needs to ensure the best experience for our shoppers, visitors and neighbors,” said Ray Soporowski, general manager at Concord Mills. “We are giving the city and the North Carolina Department of Transportation our full cooperation to streamline this process and have the work completed and all entrances to Concord Mills back open as soon and as safely as possible.”
Westbound traffic on Concord Mills Boulevard will be shifted toward the outside shoulder and the two left turn lanes into the entrance will be closed to allow for bridge work in the median. Shoppers will also not be able to access Concord Mills Boulevard from this entrance/exit during the work. Lane configurations on the boulevard, however, will remain the same – with three westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes open to traffic.
While this entrance is closed, shoppers can use the other front entrances at Bexley Way and Thunder Road or the back entrance at Carolina Lily Lane to access the mall.
The $10.2 million contract to extend a two-lane flyover bridge for a better connection between I-85 and the mall was awarded in January 2018. The bridge will replace existing left turn lanes on Concord Mills Boulevard at the mall entrance, improving traffic flow.