Construction, detours, and orange vests… oh my!
That pretty much describes the daily scene in the Town of Harrisburg – a bustling, popular community located 14 Northeast of Charlotte Center City. For the last 18 months, the Town’s roads have been under construction in an effort to bring the high speed rail through the center of Town and to accommodate the rapidly expanding population. The construction has taken its toll on the residents of Harrisburg and it has left many scratching their head and wondering, “Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?”
Marc Morgan, the NC DOT District Engineer for Cabarrus and Stanly County recently gave these updates:
1. The Roberta Road Extension:
The Roberta Road bridge will have 2 through lanes in each direction with a painted island in the middle. Additionally, it will have 2 bike lanes, 1 on each side, plus a sidewalk on both sides.
2. Further expansion of Roberta Road to Hickory Ridge H.S.:
The extension of Roberta Road to Hickory Ridge is in the initial planning stages. The Town of Harrisburg is working to get it added and funded in the MPO’s Transportation Plan. No studies have been done to date on this extension.
3. The Raging Ridge Extension:
This project will extend the existing Raging Ridge Drive to Stallings Road and will include the construction of a new bridge on Raging Ridge. This project is waiting on environmental permits from DENR and the Army Corp of Engineers. Permits were requested in September and these organizations are allowed a minimum of 90 days to issue or reject. Permits are this month at which point the contract will be placed out for bid. Ideally the target date for this project is March to December of 2016.
