STEELE CREEK NEWS
Widening Highway 160
to State Line is Part of Latest Plan
(January 8, 2017)
The
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
released its Draft 2018-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement
Program (STIP) last week, and it includes the widening of Highway
160 (Steele Creek Road) south of South Tryon Street to the South
Carolina state
line. NCDOT plans to issue the final approved STIP in June 2017.
More information on the Draft 2018-2027 STIP is available on
the
Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO)
web site.
The latest plan calls
for right-of-way purchase and utility relocation in 2020 and
construction beginning in 2022. This is the same schedule as the
widening of Highway 160 north of South Tryon Street approved two
years ago. This means that construction on the entire length of
Highway 160 from Shopton Road West to the South Carolina state line
is scheduled to begin as one project in 2022.
The
section south of South Tryon Street was not listed at all in the
previous, 2016-2025 STIP, so this is a significant improvement in
the priority for Steele Creek Road.
Projects scheduled to
begin in the first five years of the STIP are considered committed,
and not subject to future reprioritization. Thus all Highway
160 projects will be committed once the final STIP is approved later
this year.
The approved
2016-2025 STIP included two committed projects:
Intersection of
Highway 160 (Steele Creek Road) and Hamilton Road
Widen
intersection of NC Highway 160 (Steele Creek Road) and Hamilton Road
for additional capacity consistent with the future Steele Creek Road
cross section.
FY 2017 - Right-of-Way acquisition - $315,000 FY 2018 -
Construction - $1,300,000
Some turn lanes have been added
at this intersection by a
developer, and
Lennar Homes will be required to make additional
improvements to accommodate additional traffic expected to be
generated by its new residential development under construction near the
intersection of Hamilton Road and Smith Road.
Highway 160 (Steele Creek Road) from Shopton Road W to S Tryon Street
This 4.2 mile widening project extends along Steele
Creek Road from Shopton Road West to South Tryon Street (NC Highway 49) in
Charlotte. Improvements include widening the existing roadway from
two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes with a grassy median and installing bike lanes and
sidewalks.
FY 2020 - Right-of-Way
acquisition $3,100,00
Utility relocation $4,600,000 FY
2022 - Construction $15,650,000 FY
2023 - Construction $15,650,000
The Draft
2018-2027 STIP includes the following project
Highway 160 (Steele Creek Road) from S Tryon Street
to the South Carolina State Line
This 2.2 mile widening project extends along Steele
Creek Road from South Tryon Street (NC Highway 49) to the South Carolina
state line. Improvements include widening the existing roadway from
two (2) lanes to four (4) lanes with a grassy median and installing bike lanes and
sidewalks. Developers have provided improvements adjacent to the
RiverGate shopping complex.
FY 2020 - Right-of-Way
acquisition $500,00
Utility relocation $2,500,000 FY
2022 - Construction $21,700,000
According to the
Lake Wylie Pilot, Highway 160 is South Carolina will be widened from
two lanes to five from Gold Hill Road to the North Carolina state
line. "Right-of-way acquisition should begin in 2016 for the $8.8
million project. The construction at S.C. 160 and Gold Hill Road is
being done by SCDOT. Construction on the rest should come in 2017."
CRTPO issued the
following statement with the release of the Draft STIP:
NCDOT Releases Draft 2018-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
NCDOT released its draft 2018-2027
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) on
January 4, 2017. This document summarizes initial projects
that have been identified for funding and implementation
over the next ten years. Its release is just the beginning
of a continued effort over the next several months by CRTPO
staff and TCC members to review the projects and assess the
information for accuracy.
This step also triggers a
variety of upcoming public involvement efforts and financial
analysis at the local and state levels. NCDOT’s Board of
Transportation will adopt the STIP in June, and CRTPO is
charged with adopting their local version, known as the
2018-2027 TIP by August 2017. The TIP identifies the
region’s allocation of transportation resources among the
various capital and operating needs of the area, based on a
clear set of short-term transportation priorities. It also
identifies the strategies that CRTPO and NCDOT plan to
undertake to implement the projects within this ten-year
timeframe.
To view the draft 2018-2027 STIP, visit
http://crtpo.org/plans-programs/transporation-improvement-program.
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Robert Cook,
Secretary of CRTPO, will be one of the speakers at the 2017 Steele
Creek Residents Association annual meeting and will give an update
on the prioritzation of Highway 160 projects.
Stuart Basham, NCDOT Division 10
Planning Engineer, and other NCDOT staff also will be at the meeting
to answer questions about highway improvement and maintenance
projects.
The Steele Creek
Residents Association meeting will be on Thursday, February 23
beginning at 6:30 PM at Christ the King Church (13501 South Tryon
Street).
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