STEELE CREEK NEWS

Dixie River Road Realignment Public Meeting is November 17

(November 11, 2005) The Charlotte Department of Transportation and the Charlotte Engineering & Property Management Department in cooperation with its consultant Kimley-Horn and Associates will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Steele Creek Masonic Temple ( 9424 Steele Creek Road),

There will be a a presentation at 6:15 followed by an open house. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss conceptual design alignments for the intersection of Shopton Road West and Steele Creek Road (NC Highway 160).

The project will realign the currently skewed alignment at the intersection of Shopton Road West and Steele Creek Road. Existing Dixie River Road will also be relocated from its current location to pass through the new Berewick development. Proposed improvements include: sidewalks, curb & gutter, planting strips and traffic signals.

Project Background

The City of Charlotte has completed the initial planning phase for the Dixie River Road Realignment Project and has developed design alternatives for the planned reconstruction of the intersection of Shopton Road West and Steele Creek Road.

A well-attended project open house was conducted on June 30th to introduce the project to the public and collect opinions from neighbors, law enforcement, commuters, and interested residents. The upcoming second public meeting will provide a summary of ongoing planning efforts; introduce the developed alternatives; and include opportunities to meet with project team members to review project exhibits, ask questions, and offer input.

Preliminary plans presented at a public meeting on June 30 called for a 90 degree intersection that required motorists going south on Steele Creek Road (Highway 160) to continue straight onto Shopton Road West or to make a left turn to continue south on Highway 160. Projected traffic volumes may not make this feasible, and and alternative alignment likely will be presented.

Concept Design

The design process for a substantial transportation investment such as the Dixie River Road Realignment Project generally progresses through three stages. The first stage is the planning phase, during which the City develops and evaluates design alternatives to establish a preferred concept. The preferred concept represents the perceived best combination of features to achieve the project's objectives in balance with the project constraints and other influences. The City is concluding the planning phase for this project and has developed and reviewed several alternatives for the intersection improvement. These alternatives will be presented at the upcoming meeting.

Your input is important to the success of this project.

The second public meeting for the Dixie River Road Realignment Project will be held on Thursday November 17th, 2005 between 6 and 8 PM at the Steele Creek Masonic Lodge. A brief presentation will begin at approximately 6:15 PM, with the remainder of the time available as an open house. The lodge is located at 9424 Steele Creek Road near the curve at Shopton Road West. (It's where you vote if you live in Precinct 230.)

Your involvement is one of the critical elements in the success of the project. Many of you live near and/or routinely drive through the intersection, so your opinions are extremely valuable and can influence the project as it progresses forward into preliminary design.

For more information on this project or the meeting, please contact Project Manager Derrel Poole of the Charlotte Engineering and Property Management Department:

Mr. Derrel Poole
Engineering and Property Management
600 East Fourth Street
Charlotte, NC 28202-2844
(704) 353-1794
(704) 336-4554 - FAX
dpoole@ci.charlotte.nc.us

See previous articles on the Dixie River Road Project and the Dixie-Berryhill Thoroughfare Plan: 

• Planners Request Public Input on Dixie River Road Realignment (7/2/05)
• Public Meeting on Dixie River Road Realignment Project is June 30 (6/21/05)
• Improvements to Highway 160 and Shopton Road W Intersection Planned (5/10/05)
• MPO Approves Dixie-Berryhill Thoroughfare Plan (5/24/02)
• New Dixie-Berryhill Thoroughfare Plan Presented (4/12/02)
• Dixie-Berryhill Thoroughfare Meeting April 11 (4/2/02)