NCDOT Taking Steps to Improve Mayes and 115

Photo by Cornelius Police Department

A measure of relief may finally be coming to the troubled railroad crossing at Mayes Road and N.C. 115, in the form of additional state signage and ordinances.

The raised tracks and steep pitch on the east side of N.C. 115 have resulted in numerous stuck vehicles over the years. The crossing generated 25 calls for service in the first three months of this year, with the Cornelius Police Department responding to assist vehicles stuck on the tracks or helping drivers turn around without sufficient space to do so on their own.

In total, the 25 calls for service this year involved 47 Cornelius officers for a combined 52 hours. Officers recently began ticketing stuck drivers for an infraction that carries up to a $100 fine plus court costs.

A construction trailer, Christian tour bus and an 18-wheel McDonald’s truck have all become stuck in recent weeks. It took police six hours to free the McDonald’s truck last week, resulting in a temporary closure of both Mayes Road and N.C. 115 in all directions.

Measures to improve the intersection are the responsibility of the N.C. Department of Transportation. The town of Cornelius is unable to take action because both N.C. 115 and Mayes Road are state roads. Neither the state nor the town are responsible for the issue created by the tracks, which are owned by the city of Charlotte but are still being maintained by previous owner Norfolk Southern until the Red Line is underway.

Changes coming

Town officials and residents have repeatedly contacted the NCDOT about the intersection, and in an email this week, a spokesperson for the NCDOT said the agency recently completed an evaluation of the intersection. While low-clearance signage already exists in all travel directions, along with warning signage on Sam Furr Road approaching Mayes Road, and “No Truck” restrictions, additional measures are planned.

The agency plans to install new low-clearance and “No Truck” signs at the intersection of Sam Furr and Mayes roads, add high-visibility striping to existing warning signs, and implement a new ordinance restricting trucks on Barnhardt Road.

Long term, an NCDOT spokesperson said a development project to realign Mayes Road between N.C. 115 and Knox Road will include grading adjustments at the crossing, “hopefully preventing any future hang ups.”

Red Line planning and design has not advanced to the point of addressing smaller intersections.

Map apps

One issue that remains is GPS map apps routing drivers onto Mayes Road to bypass the intersection of Sam Furr Road and N.C. 115. Some southbound routes also direct trucks and buses from the area around Hough High School south via Barnhardt Road and west via Mayes Road rather than west on Bailey Road.

“We are working on updating GPS routes so that type of traffic is not directed onto Mayes Road,” a Cornelius Police Department spokesperson wrote last week in an email.