NCDOT approves contract for Sugar Creek grade separation project

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) awarded a contract for a grade-separation project designed to improve railroad capacity and safety along Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte, N.C.

The Sugar Creek project is part of a series of upgrades to the North Carolina Railroad Co.'s line from Raleigh to Charlotte. One of the busiest in the state, the corridor currently hosts more than 30 Norfolk Southern Railway trains and eight Amtrak trains per day, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

Slated to begin Oct. 1, the $43 million project — $17 million of which will go toward construction — will help eliminate risk of train/vehicle collisions, improve safety for vehicle and rail passengers and reduce traffic in the area, according to NCDOT.

The project is funded by the city of Charlotte, the North Carolina Railroad Co., NS, the Federal Railroad Administration and NCDOT.

The project will involve:
• constructing a bridge carrying Sugar Creek Road over existing and future tracks;
• realigning North Davidson Street to the intersection of Sugar Creek Road and Redwood Avenue and construct intersection improvements;
• extending Bearwood Avenue under the proposed Sugar Creek Road bridge to intersect with the realigned North Davidson Street;
• constructing a new connector road from the existing Greensboro Street/East Sugar Creek Road intersection to Raleigh Street, east of the proposed Sugar Creek Road bridge;
• permanently closing the existing Craighead Road railroad crossing; and
• removing the existing Northmore Street/Sugar Creek intersection.

The grade separation project is scheduled for completion in September 2018. Blythe Development Co. of Charlotte is the project contractor.