CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Central Avenue in Charlotte will be partially closed through February 2024 because of ongoing construction.
The popular road in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, which normally has two lanes in each direction, will be reduced to one lane in each direction until Feb. 29, according to the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT). The lane closures impact Central Avenue between Prospect Street and Louise Avenue. This is the portion of the roadway nearest to the overpass with U.S. 74.
Crews will be moving overhead powerlines and burying them underground.
Logan Kureczka, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, said those in the area should expect to see large equipment on site, partial lane closures, and temporary traffic flow changes during construction.
She said crashes into their powerlines are the major driver for the change in this area. The so-called undergrounding process also helps to keep power running during severe weather, according to the company.
"When those vehicles hit poles, we have these outages that can become long duration outages for customers, because, usually with the poles, they have to be replaced," Kureczka said. "When we see these repeated patterns, that kind of data tells us this is an area that needs targeted underground work.”
Kureczka said residents shouldn't expect power outages associated with the change or increased costs, at least in the short term.
An analysis by WCNC Charlotte's Verify team in August found that the cost of underground wires is expensive. A 2003 study by the North Carolina Natural Disaster Preparedness Task Force estimated customers would see power bills more than double if power companies needed to fund the relocation of all their existing wires.
"Underground service is significantly more expensive to install, which can result in higher electric rates and, you know, we do have to go before the North Carolina Utilities Commission for that," Kureczka said, "But, right now, Duke Energy, you know, recognizes customers have a lot to pay for, and so we want to keep costs as low as possible. Also, when there's an underground outage, the repair normally takes longer to do, you know, so what we do is is we look at data, we look at where it makes the most sense to do that, and that's kind of where we target it."
For those living and working in the area, the project is a months-long challenge to their travels.
"It's going to be a pain right now to go through all of that," Tammy Behan, who works in the area, said, "but once it gets done, we won't have to worry about power outages because of ice or fallen trees or anything like that and I think it's going to be great.”
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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