I-77 / Jane Sowers Road Interchange Feasibility Study

Study Overview & Public Meetings
The City of Statesville is conducting a feasibility study to review alternatives for potentially constructing a new interchange at I-77 and Jane Sowers Road. The City of Statesville and Iredell County have experienced an increase in development activity on land in the vicinity of I-77 and Jane Sowers Road. To better accommodate the anticipated traffic generated by this growth and to relieve traffic pressure on other roadways, the City of Statesville is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, and Iredell County to study the feasibility of constructing a new interchange on I-77 at Jane Sowers Road. This feasibility study also assesses needed improvements to both I-77 and Jane Sowers Road to accommodate a new interchange. Determining the feasibility of an interchange is the first step in a long process that will likely not see construction for some time, but it is necessary to start the process of attaining project funding.

The City of Statesville will host an open house public meeting on March 14, 2023, at Fairview Baptist Church at 349 Turnersburg Hwy, Statesville, NC 28625 to discuss the study purpose and need, present findings, seek public input, and answer questions. The meeting will be held in a drop-in format where members of the public will be able to view study materials and ask study team members questions. Please see drop-in meeting times below.

11:30am - 1:30pm
5:00pm - 7:00pm

All meeting materials will be made available on this website for the public to view the study information at their convenience.  After reviewing the project materials, please take the online survey at the end.

Contact:
Steve Bridges
(704) 761-2381
Email Steve 

Background
Statesville Mobility + Development Plan
The Statesville Mobility + Development Plan recommends widening Jane Sowers Road from two lanes to four lanes between U.S.- 21 and Old Mocksville Road using the Minor Thoroughfare cross-section shown in the figure below.

Figure 1: Minor thoroughfare road cross-section with a 110-foot right of way minimum of Jane Sowers Road (I-77 to Old Mocksville Road) from the Statesville Mobility + Development Plan, showing four 12-foot lanes (two in each direction) a paved shoulder, and five-foot sidewalks.

Proposed Alternatives
The study team had developed four alternatives for this feasibility study. Two alternatives were deemed less feasible and removed from the analysis. The selected alternatives, A and B were refined further and are presented in this section. Both alternatives share several common features and assumptions.
  • Both alternatives include widening of Jane Sowers Road in the vicinity of the proposed interchange to a four-lane roadway with sidewalks and bike-lanes, as outlined in the Statesville Development + Mobility Plan.
  • Both alternatives will include auxiliary lanes on I-77 to accommodate merging traffic between Exit 51 and Exit 54.
  • Both alternatives assume the completion of the under-construction warehouse facility in the south-east quadrant as outlined in both the site plans below. Both alternatives try to avoid this project to the extent practicable.
  • Both alternatives will require signalization along Jane Sowers Road at interchange ramps on both the east and west sides of I-77.
  • Both alternatives will require construction of a new Jane Sowers Road bridge over I-77.

Figure 2: Image of Alternative A, a standard diamond interchange.

Figure 3: Image of Alternative B, a standard diamond interchange north of Jane Sowers Road and modified south of Jane Sowers Road so that the northbound ramps from I-77 to Jane Sowers Road are brought over I-77 to the western side.

Evaluation
After the design stage of the study, each alternative was evaluated against various parameters, including traffic distribution, property impacts, and cost. A detailed comparative performance of each of these alternatives is presented in the following graphics.

Impacts
Lower impact means better performance of the alternative.

Figure 4: Alternative A has lower impacts than B in “Project’s right-of-way impact to nearby properties” and “Project’s impact to residential structures.” Alternatives A and B equally have lowers impacts in “Project’s impact on environmental resources.” Alternative B has lower impacts in “Project’s potential to reduce Full-Access to nearby roads and driveways.” Alternatives A and B equally have lower impacts on “Project’s potential to relocate existing roads and driveways.”

Figure 5: Alternative B has higher benefits in “Project’s ability to serve future land use and development plans for the area.” Alternatives A and B have equally higher benefits in “Project’s ability to serve future traffic.” Alternative B has higher benefits in “Project’s ability to serve existing and future truck traffic.” Alternatives A and B have equally higher benefits in “Project’s ability to provide enhanced multimodal opportunities” and “Project’s ability to maintain safe travel conditions on I-77.”

Figure 6: Alternative B has a higher estimated cost.