To the Editor:

As was announced at the close of the Mooresville Commission meeting on September 2, on Monday, September 8, NCDOT will publicly demonstrate its lack of vision as it announces the six-month closure of crosstown roadway West Wilson Avenue to U.S. 21 in Mooresville for a road construction project.

This closure is on top of the ongoing widening project for NC 150, the major cross-town artery in Mooresville. 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. Is the intent to kill or just inflict as much pain as it can?

This is the same organization that rejected Mooresville’s proposal to construct the Oates Road/Midnight Lane roadway and bridge across I-77 North of NC 150 to alleviate traffic before the NC 150 widening project began. Mooresville only asked for reimbursement from NCDOT in later budget years. NCDOT rejected Mooresville’s offer. Just think, if accepted, this roadway would now be in place and would have been constructed with less cost a few years ago. Result, when finally built, it will be much more expensive than it could have been.

This is the same NCDOT that in the late 1980s started the construction of Interstate 485 circling Charlotte as a four-lane highway between US 521 in South Charlotte and NC51 Pineville-Matthews Road. NCDOT was questioned about its vision at that time. Upon completion, this became an immediate traffic bottleneck.

This is the same organization that fostered the toll lanes on I-77 and the immediate mess it has created throughout the length from Harris Boulevard North into Mooresville in both lane directions. South Charlotte should take notice.

This is the same NCDOT that designed only one lane access from North and South I-485 in West Charlotte to merge onto I-85 South towards Atlanta.

These are the same clueless wonders who literally foster and support the notion “it’s our way or the highway.”

NCDOT continues to display tone deafness, unaccountability, lack of leadership, and lack of coordination with local transportation officials to minimize impact on local communities.

As practiced in other states throughout this great country, why cannot NCDOT build one side of the new highway, then transfer traffic from the old to the new and reconstruct the old? At least the artery would not be completely cut while, supposedly, it is being improved.

The answer: It takes vision, which NCDOT is sorely lacking.

Richard J. Beck
Mooresville