Date set for months-long, NCDOT road closing at a major Lake Norman intersection
The state revealed details Tuesday about the planned six-month closing of a road at a major Lake Norman-area intersection.
West Wilson Avenue, at the U.S. 21/Brawley School Road intersection, will close beginning at midnight Monday, Sept. 15, according to a North Carolina Department of Transportation news release.
Brawley School Road and U.S. 21 will stay open during the work by Charlotte-based general contractor Lane Construction Corp., highway officials said.
West Wilson Avenue will close between U.S. 21 and the entrance to Country Club Apartments, according to NCDOT. That’s a third of a mile stretch.
Brawley School Road extends 10 miles from Lake Norman, beyond Trump National Golf Club Charlotte, to the U.S. 21-West Wilson Avenue intersection. West Wilson is a primary route to downtown Mooresville.
Signs will detour drivers around the closure using West Wilson Avenue, South Main Street, West McLelland Avenue, N.C. 150 and U.S. 21,” according to NCDOT.
The work is part of a $34.8 million widening of Brawley School Road to a four-lane, divided road between Interstate 77 exit 35 and U.S. 21, officials said. U-turn bulbs, bike lanes and sidewalks will be installed, and intersections will get signals.
Construction of the roughly mile-long stretch is expected to end in early 2029.
Word of the closing riled residents of traffic-clogged Mooresville since assistant town manager Ryan Rase announced some details at the Sept. 2 Mooresville Board of Commissioners meeting.
“The news that I want to make the public aware of is that they will be closing the intersection of (U.S.) 21, Brawley School Road and West Wilson Avenue,” Rase said, according to a recording of the meeting on the town’s You Tube site.
“The active closure will be between Country Club Drive and 21 on Wilson for the next 180 days,” Rase said.
Town officials learned of the upcoming closure earlier on the day of the Town Board meeting, Rase told the commissioners.
“The good news is that construction continues on the Brawley School Road project, which is about 50% complete,” Rase said.
Resident upset by upcoming intersection closure
Mooresville resident Richard Beck criticized the closure in an email to The Charlotte Observer and local and state elected officials. The state should at least keep a lane open, he said.
“This closure is on top of the current ongoing widening project for (nearby) N.C. 150, the major cross-town artery in Mooresville,” Beck wrote. “This action begs the question: ‘On what planet does NCDOT continue to live?’
“NCDOT cuts one main artery through the heart of Mooresville, while it is conducting major surgery on the other,” Beck said. “Is the intent to kill or in a major way inflict as much pain as it can?”
On its Brawley School Road widening page, NCDOT says:
“By prioritizing pedestrian safety and accessibility, the NCDOT underscores its commitment to fostering a more inclusive and pedestrian-friendly community environment. As construction continues, we look forward to enhanced mobility, connectivity, and overall quality of life in our community.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM.