HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Five projects to widen a section of NC-73 into four lanes will soon affect the daily commutes of drivers in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Lincoln counties.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation hosted two public meetings in Huntersville on Tuesday, Nov. 14 to answer questions and provide updates on the multi-million dollar projects.
Jen Goodwin, communications officer with NCDOT, said Huntersville is just one community that has been vocal about a need for traffic improvements.
"The communities that line that highway are represented by different planning organizations either at a metropolitan or rural level," Goodwin said. "All those communities that are in those groups, they know what their needs are... They know how they can get around, they know how congested it is, they know how backed up it is."
The mayor-elect of Huntersville, Christy Clark said managing “smart growth” in Huntersville is a top goal.
Residential developments continue to pop up and she’s looking forward to welcoming new businesses.
"How do we make sure that the things we build in this town are beneficial for the town and don't cause anymore headaches for our community here?" Clark asked.
NCDOT is hoping to alleviate the traffic headaches that are already an issue at the NC-73 and I-77 interchange.
Construction isn’t expected to begin on these five projects until 2026, but the upcoming meetings are meant to give a look at the changes that are to come.
"I want to encourage anybody with any type of question or concern to come out," Lee Ainsworth, a project development engineer at NCDOT, said. "Please don't be discouraged by the number of projects. Come out and we’ll be glad to sit there and work through it with them."
The two public meetings on Tuesday are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lake Norman Baptist Church in Huntersville.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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