Construction begins on a long-planned, four-lane Lake Norman road. Five things to know.

Joe Marusak
·2 min read
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Construction has begun on a major new four-lane Lake Norman road, first proposed decades ago for drivers to escape irritating bottlenecks when traveling east-west across Mooresville.

Here are five things to know about the east-west connector:

Where is the connector?

Phase 1 of the project will stretch from Langtree Road to N.C. 115 and include a realigned Transco Road and a new rail crossing at N.C. 115, according to the town of Mooresville. Langtree Road is off Interstate 77 Exit 31 at the lake.

Phase 1 will take three years to complete, town spokesperson Megan Suber told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.

Why is the road needed?

Mooresville has only one east-west route, the badly congested N.C. 150 off I-77 Exit 36.

What will it feature?

The connector will have a divided median and multi-use paths are planned along the route.

Phase 1 includes 1.7 miles of new road alignment in the southeast corner of the I-77-Langtree Road intersection, with full intersection improvements planned at each new intersection, Suber said in an email.

Who’s building it -- and for how much?

Kwest Group, an Ohio-based road and airport runway builder, will construct Phase I under a $29.75 million contract awarded by the Mooresville Board of Commissioners in January.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization helped the project move forward with a recent $6.7 million grant, The Mooresville Tribune reported, citing Mayor Chris Carney. Carney credited town commissioner Lisa Qualls for helping ensure grants for town road projects through her role chairing the CRTPO board.

What’s next?

The town has scheduled a ceremonial Phase I groundbreaking for 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at The Cove Church on Langtree Road.

Through future phases of construction, the East-West Connector will eventually directly connect N.C. 152 to I-77, Suber said.

Phase II of the project will extend from N.C. 115 to Shearer Road/Rocky River Road and “does not currently have a timeline or secured funding,” she said.

Anyone with questions about the connector can contact Jonathan Young, Mooresville Public Services director, at 704-799-4065 or jyoung@mooresvillenc.gov.