$25.6 million fix underway for chronically congested Lake Norman intersections

Cornelius’s multi-million dollar plan to improve traffic backups near I-77 Exit 28 is underway.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation approved a $21 million contract for the project in November. Now, the cost is up to $25.6 million, including contingency and inflation. Cornelius is responsible for $7.7 million of that figure.

The six-phase project, which includes installing three roundabouts, limiting left turns, adding sidewalks and resurfacing roadways, sets out to fix the intersections of One Norman Boulevard and Knox Road, Torrence Chapel Road and Knox Road, Chartwell Center Drive and Liverpool Parkway, and Torrence Chapel Road and The Fresh Market driveway. The improvements, controlled by the Department of Transportation, kicked off in April under Ohio contractor Kwest Group and are set to wrap up in May 2028.

In tandem, the fixes will resolve traffic light backups — lowering wait times on Torrence Chapel Road from 11 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes, said Deputy Town Manager Wayne Herron — but the construction to get there will cause detours and eliminate popular shortcuts in the meantime.

Herron, who came to Cornelius in 2012, said this project was on the books even before he started.

“The purpose of the project is to reduce the time that we spend in traffic,” said Michael Osborne, the town’s mayor pro tempore. “We may have to go through some short-term pain and fight through that together but recognize that when it’s done, we won’t be spending as much time in traffic.”

About 80% of the comments Osborne hears from community members regarding traffic pain relate to the intersections this project addresses, he added.

Chris Watson, who lives off of Torrence Chapel Road, said the current backups affect her every day. It’s taken her 17 minutes to go half of a mile. She said she’s curious to see if the roundabouts will work for the town’s high volume of traffic.

Crews are already in the process of relocating utilities and doing minor construction. But phase one will really begin once Charlotte Water approves a sewer pump station, which should happen within the next two weeks, Herron said. Once the town gets the go-ahead, parts of Knox Road, One Norman Boulevard and Harken Road at an entrance to the Blue Stone Harbor neighborhood will close for about 40 days.

Herron said the state plans to change the geometry of where the streets meet, eliminating the ability to turn left from One Norman Boulevard onto Knox Road. Phase one, projected to wrap up in November, will also include the installation of sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of Knox Road and the beginning of the roundabout at Torrence Chapel Road and Knox Road.

What this means for the Cornelius community

A community transportation meeting held Monday night to present the plan to residents drew about 60 attendees, many of whom expressed frustration with the phase one construction’s potential effect on their daily lives.

With the current traffic, Roy Franco, who lives off of Torrence Chapel Road, has already adjusted his lifestyle to avoid leaving the house after 4 p.m. He’s worried the construction will only add to this.

“Knox Road has been a relief valve, so the fact that that’s going to get closed off for a while, even moreso I think we’re going to be a little trapped,” he said.

Many residents balked at the phase one detour. Rather than turn from West Catawba Road onto One Norman Boulevard to reach the Blue Stone Harbor entrance on Knox Road, people will have to take a longer route down West Catawba Road, make a left on Torrence Chapel Road and then another left onto Knox Road to work around construction.

Still, Commissioner Scott Higgins said he is “optimistic” that the roundabouts and road adjustments will address traffic concerns and improve flow.

Crews will work on phase during the day as to not disturb the nearby residences. Construction for phases two through six will occur at night. The scope of these phases:

• Phase two: work inside the roundabout at Knox Road and Torrence Chapel Road (May to November)
• Phase three: all work on Torrence Chapel Road (March 2027 to August 2027)
• Phase four: roundabout at the intersection Chartwell Center Drive and Liverpool Parkway (August 2027 to November 2027)
• Phase five: widening Liverpool Parkway; adding a I-77 south slip lane on West Catawba Avenue; left turn stacking to Liverpool Parkway from West Catawba Avenue (August 2027 to November 2027)
• Phase six: final topcoat of paving for entire project (November 2027 to May 2028)

“Our community is a destination place for people to live,” Higgins said. “We have an obligation to try to do what we can to meet that need.”