The paving is finished, says N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) engineer John Cook. The only work remaining at the new Langtree Road interchange is shoulder work, railing installation along the bridge, pavement markings and sign placement.
It all should be finished by Aug. 1.
"And when the covers come off those road signs," Cook added, "It might surprise some to learn that the exit mile marker number is actually 31, not 32" as local residents often refer to the future exit.
The paving has also been completed on the widening of I-77 between the future Exit 31 and the existing Exit 33 (Williamson Road), creating a third northbound and southbound lane.
If the sunny weather continues and the final inspection goes well, a $21 million construction project that's been underway for more than two years could be ending in less than two weeks.
Billed as a new gateway into Mooresville for northbound travelers on the interstate, Exit 31 also gives the thousands of Lowe's Companies, Inc. employees a new access to the interstate. Lowe's, headquartered on 300 acres northeast of exit 31, is building a southern entrance to tie into Langtree Road.
That entrance, the third for the Lowe's campus, is not part of the state-funded interchange project. Its completion, expected later this fall, does not affect when Exit 31 opens.
All four quadrants of the new Langtree Road interchange are slated to be part of the $800 million Langtree at the Lake development, which includes a hotel and conference center.
Langtree President Rick Howard says crews are close to breaking ground on the southwest quadrant, which will include office space, an upscale convenience market, a bank and a restaurant.
