I-77 widening and millions of dollars in other road improvements for north Mecklenburg will come up for a vote at a regional planning meeting in Charlotte this morning, Thursday, April 23. The road projects have been proposed by the developers of Augustalee, a mixed-use development on Statesville Road (Hwy. 21) in Cornelius.

The special meeting of the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Technical Coordinating Committee begins at 10 a.m. at 600 E. 4th St., fourth floor, in downtown Charlotte.

The vote is a prelude to a vote on final approval by MUMPO on April 29. If that vote passes, the projects would be officially added to the schedule for local transportation improvements and would be a step closer to reality.

The roadwork, including a new highway exit off I-77 at Westmoreland Road, are required as part of the Town of Cornelius’s approval of the Augustalee project. The developer has agreed to pay for the road work up front, and be reimbursed later, primarily through the increases in tax revenues the project generates.

MUMPO is a regional planning organization for the greater Charlotte region. Among its duties is to help prioritize local transportation and road improvement projects.

Town Board member Brian Jenest is Davidson’s representative on the TCC. Commissioner Jim Bensman represents Cornelius.

For more about the Augustalee project, see our recent coverage of the public workshop held in Cornelius about the improvements. (April 10, 2009, “Roadwork for Cornelius project faces key vote April 29.”)

AGENDA

Here’s the agenda item for today’s meeting, provided by MUMPO:

3. Augustalee
a. Thoroughfare Plan Amendment, Andrew Grant, Town of Cornelius
ACTION REQUESTED: The Town of Cornelius recommends that the Thoroughfare Plan be amended to include a new interchange on I-77 at Westmoreland Road.
b. Proposed 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Program Amendments Andrew Grant
ACTION REQUESTED: The Town of Cornelius recommends that the TIP be amended to include the following projects in FY 2013:
1. Construct a new interchange on I-77 at Westmoreland Road
2. Widen I-77 from south of exit 23 (Gilead Road) to exit 28 (Catawba Avenue)
3. Widen US 21
4. Extend Bailey Road across I-77 to Northcross Drive
5. Improvements to Westmoreland Road

BACKGROUND: Augustalee is a proposed mixed-use development in Cornelius located on 104 acres in an area bounded by I-77, US 21, Westmoreland Road and a church property at the southern end of the parcel.

The proposed interchange is not on MUMPO’s Thoroughfare Plan and the five projects referenced in item 2b are not funded in the 2009-2015 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).