Drainage project in Dilworth promises to be ‘disruptive’ to traffic. Here’s an update.
Thousands of Charlotte commuters drive through the intersection of Kenilworth Avenue, Scott Avenue and Romany Road everyday on their way to and from uptown, but some may have noticed one of the roads near Carolinas Medical Center is currently closed.
The culprit: a storm drainage project, Leo Caplanides, a spokesperson for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, told the Observer last week.
Construction on the nearly $22 million Kenilworth-Romany Storm Drainage Improvement Project in Dilworth began on April 21, 2020, and it’s not expected to be completed until September 2022, the utility said.
Once completed, the project will help reduce street and structure flooding throughout the neighborhood, Caplanides said.
Construction at the Scott Avenue and Romany Road intersection began in late spring and is expected to be completed by fall 2021, Tyler Howell, project manager for the city’s storm water services, said during a public meeting in February.
The project is within a drainage area of around 233 acres, and it will replace or rehabilitate aging infrastructure, according to the city’s website.
Signage is up around the closed intersection to assist motorists, Caplanides said.
“It’ll be disruptive there’s no doubt about it,” Howell said. “There will be various closures of this intersection as we work our way through it.”
‘Pay attention to the signage’
Other streets in the project area include Waverly Avenue, Buchanan Street, Linganore Place and Dilworth Road East and West. The boundary streets are Berkeley Avenue to the north, East Boulevard to the west, Buchanan Street to the south and Morehead Street to the east.
Some of these streets will require full closures, and some connecting intersections will be closed for extended periods to install storm water pipe, Avery Braun, construction inspector for the city’s storm water services, said during the February public meeting.
“If you’re used to using a certain road to get to work or back to the house, just please do your best to pay attention to the signage,” he said.
