The state closed West Wilson Avenue between U.S. 21 and the entrance to Country Club Apartments in mid-September for a six-month project to improve West Wilson near the intersection, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Lane Construction Corp. crews widened West Wilson, added a multi-use path and improved traffic at the intersection with U.S. 21, officials said.
The closure, however, frustrated drivers fed up with longtime bottlenecks on local roads because now they lost easy access to downtown Mooresville from Brawley School Road, U.S. 21 and nearby N.C. 150.
A driver turns right from West Wilson Avenue onto U.S. 21 North in a new, wider turn lane that opened in Mooresville on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. Joe Marusak jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
More improvements ahead, state says
West Wilson is a key artery to downtown in one direction and Lake Norman the other direction, where it becomes Brawley School Road.
Drivers on U.S. 21 North in Mooresville wait to turn left onto Brawley School Road on Monday at the new intersection at West Wilson Avenue, Brawley School Road and U.S. 21. Joe Marusak jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
The improvements were part of a larger project to widen Brawley School Road to a four-lane divided road between Interstate 77 exit 35 and U.S. 21. The project also will add U-turn bulb-outs, traffic signals at intersections and bike lanes and sidewalks.
Barrels lined West Wilson Avenue, U.S. 21 and Brawley School Road after the intersection reopened on Monday after three months of improvements by Charlotte contractor Lane Construction Corp. Joe Marusak jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
Cars on U.S. 21 in Mooresville pass through the light at Brawley School Road and West Wilson Avenue on Monday. The intersection reopened after a Charlotte contractor finished safety improvements three months early. Joe Marusak jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
The overall Brawley School Road improvements should be complete by early 2029, according to an NCDOT news release Monday.
Crews with Charlotte-based Lane Construction Corp. work along U.S. 21 near Brawley School Road/West Wilson Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, as part of the road’s widening. West Wilson reopened on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. JOE MARUSAK jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news.Support my work with a digital subscription
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