CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte City Council has voted unanimously to use $6.6 million of state funds to help relieve congestion along Rea Road in south Charlotte.
The money would come from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s “I-485 Express Lane Bonus Allocation” funds.
The city council specifically voted to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with NCDOT to accept the funds and then appropriate the money to the city’s general capital projects funds.
The funds will be used to widen and increase capacity along Rea Road from the I-485 outer loop ramp to Williams Pond Land.
“We've seen hyper-growth in the area for sure,” Tasha Woodley, who’s lived in the area for 15 years, said. “But with that comes a lot of additional traffic and I've seen over the years."
With growth comes congestion.
“I moved here from Cleveland, Ohio in 2015 and I have seen this traffic has gone up ever since,” Rohit Verma said. “So they are definitely -- they need to widen.”
The $6.6 million would be additional money already allocated to the Rea Road Widening Project from I-485 to Outer Loop to William Pond Lane.
The total budget for the project is almost $14 million; with $6.6 million voted on Monday night and $7.3 million in local funds from the 2022 transportation bonds already allocated.
The project will reduce center lanes to add more space for cars along Rea Road and add more left and right turn lanes at Piper Station and at Ballantyne Commons Parkway.
Most of the stretch that will be widened runs along the Stonecrest shopping center.
There will also be an upgrade to accessibility ramps and pedestrian traffic signals.
Fixing traffic a few miles from I-485 would help reduce traffic for cars getting on and off the highway.
“I think it’ll bring much relief to people on a very crowded road in south Charlotte and we are grateful for the funding from the state,” Councilman Edmund Driggs told WCNC Charlotte after the vote. The project is in District 7, which Driggs represents.
Construction is projected to start on Rea Road in 2026.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.