Kannapolis, Concord Split on Road Work
Kannapolis Wants Westside Bypass, Concord Campaigns For Wider I-85

BY MATTHEW WINTER
SALISBURY POST

KANNAPOLIS - Could Concord's desire for a wider Interstate 85 foil Kannapolis' plans for a westside bypass?

Kannapolis City Council members aren't sure, but they're taking no chances.

City Manager David Hales told board members Tuesday during their regular meeting that Concord officials have sent a resolution to state highway officials asking them to forego Concord's portion of the westside bypass in favor of an interstate widening project.

The Kannapolis board on Tuesday voted unanimously to send state Department of Transportation officials their own message: It would be nice if you could find additional funding for the widening of I-85, but you shouldn't sacrifice our westside bypass to do it.

Hales pointed out to the board that Kannapolis "has fared very well" in the state's draft Transportation Improvement Plan, or TIP. The TIP is a much-debated document that outlines thousands of road projects across the state worth billions of dollars. The TIP basically plans out road projects through 2006.

One of these projects is the westside bypass. The bypass will intersect I-85 and carry motorists around the west side of both Kannapolis and Concord. Workers are scheduled to begin building the Kannapolis piece of the bypass this summer.

Some Kannapolis officials hope the bypass will encourage development in the 10-square-mile Coddle Creek area due for annexation this summer.

However, Concord officials have basically sent the message that they'd be willing to do without their portion of the bypass in favor of widening I-85 in southern Cabarrus County, Hales explained.

Kenneth Geathers, Kannapolis City Council member, said he understands why Concord would want to pursue the project. Concord Mills, the gigantic mall off I-85 expected to be completed this fall, will add up to 20,000 more cars per day to an already "saturated" interstate, Geathers said.

The problem, Hales pointed out, is that the interstate widening project is not funded in the current TIP draft and would be much more expensive than Concord's portion of the bypass. If the state were to go looking for more projects to cut to make up the difference, the northern leg of the bypass could fall victim, he said.

Council's resolution is one step to ensure this doesn't happen.

Council member Roger Haas had another suggestion: to convince Concord Mills officials to open the mall on the same day as a big NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Next, invite state transportation officials down for the race and let them sit in the resulting interstate traffic all day.

The Department of Transportation now is soliciting public comment about the draft TIP. The Cabarrus-South Rowan Metropolitan Planning Organization will host a drop-in meeting Thursday night in the Kannapolis YMCA to gather this input from the public, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Meeting Room B.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization has endorsed the draft TIP, and Concord's recent effort to change the plan is unfortunate in that it makes it seem as though Cabarrus County can't stick together, Hales said.