$10 million project expected to ease bottlenecks at this major Charlotte interchange

Good news for Charlotte commuters.

The state has awarded a $10.6-million contract to reduce bottlenecks at the Interstate 485/N.C. 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) interchange, highways officials said Friday.

This 2018 NCDOT map shows where improvements are planned at the I-485/N.C. 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) interchange in northwest Charlotte.
This 2018 NCDOT map shows where improvements are planned at the I-485/N.C. 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) interchange in northwest Charlotte.

Midland-based Sealand Contractors Corp. will build additional northbound lanes on N.C. 16 through the interchange and make various improvements to the I-485 outer loop ramps and where N.C. 16 intersects with the inner/outer loop ramps, according to an N.C. Department of Transportation news release.

Sealand can start anytime between April 15 and Aug. 1 and must finish the work in a year and two months, according to the contract terms, NCDOT officials said.

All of the work will be done at night, highway officials said.

The intermediate completion date is 455 calendar days from the time the project starts, meaning all work except vegetation establishment must be finished.

The project primarily aims to lessen traffic snarls on Brookshire Boulevard through the interchange, officials said.

Without improvements, the interchange could expect “especially long delays” on southbound Brookshire Boulevard and northbound on the I-485 off-ramp, according to the NCDOT.