Transportation
More questions, more answers on I-77 toll lanes
The new lanes in Cornelius and Huntersville will be completed and open by January but closer to Charlotte work won’t be done until later in the year. Detectors have been installed above the toll lanes to read license information on cars using the toll lanes. We put together a Q&A Nov. 24. Here are more questions and answers, […]
Questions around the toll lanes?
What portion of the project will be finished in January? Most of the new lanes in the Cornelius/Huntersville area will be completed and open by January but in areas closer to Charlotte, work remains. Detectors have been installed above the toll lanes to read license information on cars using the toll lanes. This information is […]
Twin circles at Hwy. 21/Catawba put businesses in a box
Aug. 24. By Dave Vieser. Just when it seemed like NCDOT officials and residents from the Smithville area agreed on a traffic plan at Hwy. 21 and Catawba Avenue, members of the business community say the design would put them out of business. The traffic plan features twin roundabouts that ultimately divert traffic away from at least […]
Much-heralded I-77 ‘solution’ could take years
Aug. 15. By Dave Vieser and Dave Yochum. One defeated governor, a Facebook page with 10,000 followers and three vivid community protests later, the NCDOT now says it will see to it that Lake Norman eventually gets one new general purpose lane and one new toll lane on I-77. However, the cost to tear up […]
New plan eyed for Hwy. 21/Catawba
June 6. By Dave Vieser. At a meeting Tuesday in Town Hall, NCDOT officials and residents from the Smithville neighborhood reviewed plans for improvements at Hwy. 21 and Catawba Avenue, and it looks like they may have finally hit on something which is acceptable—a twin or double roundabout. Previous plans had included a standard roundabout […]
A few ‘smart’ bikes roll into Cornelius
Some of those fun orange bicycles you’re starting to see around town are “smart bikes” drifting this way from Davidson College. Fifty orange and silver Mobike bikes arrived on the Davidson campus this year. Davidson was the first institution of higher learning to partner with Mobike, the world’s first and largest smart bike-sharing company. Equipped […]
I-77 Advisory Group meeting now May 10
The next meeting of the I-77 Advisory Group, originally scheduled for April 30, has been moved to Thursday May 10, from 1-3 pm. It will be held at the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce in Cornelius. DOT Secretary James Trogdon was recently requested to make a presentation to the state legislature on April 30, according […]
Even change changes: Developments on Catawba in flux
By Dave Vieser. A year ago we outlined major developments coming to town: Some have opened, including Arby’s, CATS Park & Ride and Sweet Magnolia Estate. Others are undergoing “changes to their changes,” according to Cornelius Planning Director Wayne Herron. Quick Trip: A 5,700-square-foot convenience store and gas station is still coming to the old Acropolis […]
I-77 Advisory Group may need closed session to wrap up
March 29. By Dave Vieser. Taking a cue from its namesake’s traffic flow during rush hour, the I77 Advisory Group is moving slowly, which will in all likelihood result in an additional meeting in late April. That was the most newsworthy development from the March 27 meeting at the LKN Chamber of Commerce. During the two-hour session, […]
How do you merge gradually in bumper-to-bumper traffic?
March 5. By Dave Vieser. Local officials kicked the tires on the I-77 exit scheme and pronounced the plan a clunker at the third meeting of I77’s Advisory Group. “It appears that the design calls for about a half mile of stacking space,” said County Commissioner Jim Puckett. “I can tell you from personal experience […]
