Proposed plans by the N.C. Department of Transportation to widen N.C. 150 from the N.C. 16 Bypass in Catawba County to just west of the U.S. 21/N.C. 150 interchange in Iredell County would be divided into two sections:
- Section A, which involves only widening N.C. 150 in Catawba County.
- Section B, which involves widening N.C. 150 in Iredell County as well as improvements to both the intersection at Williamson and Bluefield roads and the I-77/N.C. 150 interchange in Mooresville.
After state and federal agencies reviewed the proposed project and evaluated its potential effects on the Terrell Historic District, the NCDOT project team selected a design option — referred to in the Environmental Assessment (a document by the National Environmental Policy Act that evaluates the environmental effects of a project) as Alternative 2 — that would widen N.C. 150 in Catawba County and also incorporate a northern bypass around the historic district, which is protected under federal law. Another design option that was studied would have widened N.C. 150 but would have had adverse effects on the historic district.
In addition to widening N.C. 150 in Iredell County, NCDOT also proposes building a continuous flow intersection in Mooresville, at the intersection of Williamson and Bluefield roads. In a continuous flow intersection, vehicles turning left cross opposing lanes of traffic at a signal-controlled crossover, before reaching the intersection.
I-77/N.C. 150 Interchange Improvements
Improvements to the I-77/N.C. 150 interchange in Mooresville would involve reconfiguring the interchange by adding lanes to N.C. 150, While the existing bridge will be replaced with a wider bridge and there will be improvements to the ramps.
Finding of No Significant Impact Approved
State and federal agencies determined in the Finding of No Significant Impact – the final environmental document approved in June 2017 – that the project would not cause a significant adverse impact to the natural and human environments.