CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A construction project is causing safety concerns in a local neighborhood.
A viewer reached out to WCNC Charlotte for help – saying she’s had several close calls with crashes due to construction vehicles blocking oncoming traffic on her street. Now Charlotte’s Department Of Transportation (CDOT) plans to step in and help.
A construction project on the corner of Briar Creek Road and Carolyn Drive will eventually turn into 10 townhomes. As contractors build on the site, their trucks line the neighborhood street near the intersection.
Neighbors say it makes their commute dangerous.
"I gotta turn left," homeowner Amy Campbell explained. "The oncoming traffic doesn’t know I’m there because the trucks are blocking the intersection."
Neighbors driving by while WCNC Charlotte got video of the area echoed Campbell’s concerns. One pointed out that it’s illegal to park within 30 feet of a stop sign.
"It’s a safety hazard," Campbell added. She has complained multiple times to the city.
CDOT says parking restriction signs can be installed to maintain safe sight distance near intersections, but the process takes at least two months.
"We’re just not getting any help from CDOT," Campbell said.
She worries the safety problems will persist when the project is complete due to future residents having overflow parking on her street.
"With this parking issue and the developer not creating enough parking for its residents, it is going to encroach on our quality life," Campbell said.
Many new developments across Charlotte are offering less parking to make room for more housing. Units in the Carolyn Drive project will have one-car garages with no driveways. There will also be six parking spots and one handicap spot in the development.
While Campbell is concerned about the lack of parking in the Carolyn Drive project, it technically meets the city's requirements of having 1.5 spots per unit.
Following WCNC Charlotte’s request to CDOT for more information, a spokesperson said the agency is now cleared to install “no parking” signs at the intersection in the next week, so neighbors won’t have to wait. A sign was actually set up as early as Friday.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.