Mooresville East-West Connector will be key for economic development, officials say
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — After nearly 20 years of planning, a new project is expected to decrease traffic in a growing part of Iredell County. Crews have started construction on the East-West Connector in Mooresville.
A crowd of community members and stakeholders gathered Thursday afternoon at The Cove Church to celebrate the groundbreaking of the highway which will eventually create a path between Interstates 77 and 85.
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Construction for phase one kicked off in January. Crews have already started clearing the area to connect Langtree Road near I-77 to N.C. 115. Eric Johnson, facilities coordinator and pastor at The Cove Church, says the church donated 9 acres of land to help bring the project to life. The church’s donation is a part of a $6 million investment from landowners in the area.
“It is a very congested area now, but I do think it’s going to be a huge help,” Johnson said. “In three years, two years, we’ll know how big of a help it was.”
Mooresville Town Commissioner Lisa Squalls says relieving congestion is essential to economic development and safety.
“Our public safety stays very busy because everybody tends to drive distracted these days, so a lot of bump-ups and just a lot of frustration,” Squalls said. “Our key element of having safe and timely travel is really economic development. We want people to live here work here and you know, have a good quality of life.”
Phase one of the project will cost $33 million. The funding comes from state, local and federal sources with completion expected by 2026. Officials say they jumped many hurdles to reach this point.
“The increase in costs, you know, certainly drove some of the delays; COVID, you know, but so we had a lot of starts and stops and pullback and moving forward, but finally we’re here,” Squalls said.
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Squalls says phase two will connect N.C. 115 east to Shearers Road near the intersection with Rocky River Road. Officials are still working to secure the funding to cover the full cost. People living in the community are excited about the project.
“I see the future coming. I have hope for a future and I see a lot of people being able to have access to this area and it won’t just be The Cove Church here,” Pastor Johnson said. “There’s so many other things that are going to be here to bring a nice place to live, a nice place to play, a nice place to be.”
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