STEELE CREEK NEWS
Right Turn Lane
Coming to Brown-Grier Road at Highway 160
(May
26, 2016)
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) plans to add
a right turn lane on westbound Brown-Grier Road at Steele Creek Road
(Highway 160) this summer. The project will only require the
relocation of one utility pole. The exact construction date will
depend on when the utility pole can be relocated by Duke Energy.
According to Stuart Basham, Division 10 Planning Engineer with
NCDOT, "The right turn lane on Brown Grier will not be designed to
accommodate an eighteen wheeler. We did look at that, but doing so
will impact a couple of large concrete vaults owned by Charlotte
Water on that quadrant of the intersection. We are planning to make
radius improvements to the extent possible without impacting the
vaults so that should help. Based on my review of the drawings for
the project, the left turn lane on Brown Grier to head south on NC
160 will also be widened."
Basham also said "At this time, there is no plan to change any of
the pavement markings on NC 160. It will remain as is. There will be
a dedicated left turn arrow added (from southbound NC 160 turning
left onto Brown-Grier Road), so there will be some changes to the
signal phasing on NC 160. That should help with traffic operations
by eliminating vehicles holding up southbound through traffic while
waiting to turn left."
Scott Cole, Acting Division 10 Engineer with NCDOT, said that the
additional lane should allow more cars to enter the intersection
quickly from Brown-Grier Road, which will mean that the length of time that the signal would be green for Brown-Grier Road
could be reduced. That
would reduce the time traffic on Steele Creek Road would need to
wait and help move that traffic through the intersection quicker.
The widening of Steele Creek Road is on the current State
Transportation Improvement Program. It is scheduled for right of way
acquisition in 2020 and construction in 2022. See
Highway 160 Projects Continue to Move up in Schedule.
The City of Charlotte plans to upgrade Brown-Grier Road from
Steele Creek Road to Whitehall Park Drive with a planted median,
intermittent left-turn lanes, curb and gutter, bike lanes, planting
strips, and sidewalks on both sides of the road. Planning and design
would occur in FY 2016-2017, See
Projects Selected for Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program
and
Comprehensive Community Investment Summary Report: Whitehall/Ayrsley
Area, January 2016.
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