CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A traffic nightmare -- that is how many neighbors describe the highway that runs through Steele Creek.
NC Highway 160 between Interstate 485 and the South Carolina state line runs through one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Charlotte. But residents told Channel 9 the roads haven't caught up to the growing population.
Michael Bullard said traffic on Highway 160 in Steele Creek is awful.
"You just sit in traffic. There's always wrecks -- every morning, every evening,” he said.
Residents said it will only get worse as the area continues to grow.
It's already a major manufacturing corridor. A new outlet mall is coming and the population there has doubled in the past 10 years.
The Steele Creek Residents Association recently passed a resolution to ask the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MUMPO, to make the widening of state Highway 160 a top priority. It is not high on the MUMPO priority list now, but that could change by the time the group adopts its final plan in September.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Dumont Clarke is a MUMPO delegate. He said, "We try to objectively rank them based on the need, safety factors and congestion, then it's up to the state of North Carolina to provide the funding."
MUMPO will also discuss whether additional funds like sales taxes could be used to pay for the projects they ultimately select as priorities for the state. Clarke said if the Highway 160 widening project is chosen, he would like to see the city of Charlotte assist with funding as well.
Residents just hope something is done sooner than later.
"Everyone that comes from South Carolina to North Carolina, that's the first thing they are dealing with is a nightmare driving situation,” Bullard said. “It's just not something you want to have as an introduction to your state.”
Plans are already under way to widen Highway 160 just across the border in South Carolina. It will span from Gold Hill Road in Fort Mill to near the North Carolina state line. The work will be paid for through Pennies for Progress, a special sales tax specifically for road improvements.
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