Land Use Plan – 2002 - Stanly County, North Carolina

STANLY COUNTY
examined include the management of driveway separation distances and the use of right-in and
right-outs. Crossovers and lights should be kept to a minimum since statistics indicate accidents
and congestion increase when traffic signals are installed.
Roadways Issues
Bicycle Routes
A large number of roadway issues have been raised through this point in the Land Use Plan
development process. The following list was developed based on technical interviews with
transportation planners, county officials, and the Land Use Plan Steering Committee. As the
planning process continues, information obtained from public meetings and other sources will be
integrated into this list.
Improved access to the remainder of central North Carolina has been identified as a primary
concern for the long-range well being of the county. Currently there are no limited-access
highways in Stanly County and only two sections of U.S. 52—one four-lane section in
Albemarle and a five-lane section in Richfield—containing more than three lanes of traffic.
The lack of better access to regional markets has been identified as a significant hindrance
to economic development efforts in the county.
Stanly County needs to plan for future roadway improvements now in order for them to be
added to NCDOT’s TIP. Presently there is a seven-year waiting period between the
placement of a project on the TIP and actual construction. Stanly County should continue
with long-range transportation planning efforts to ensure that road projects will be added to
the state TIP.
The overall circulation system in Stanly County needs to be improved. Generally there is a
lack of a north-south connections especially in the western part of the County. Another
connection from NC 24/27 to NC 73 is needed. Further, the secondary and tertiary road
system will require improvement as development occurs.
The placement of future schools in the county needs to be coordinated with long-range
transportation plans in order to identify ideal locations relative to traffic flow. Interior campus
circulation plans that allow for easy drop-off and pick-up and that limit traffic backups and
congestion should also be examined.
Industrial growth and development needs to be channeled to locations that support the truck
traffic it will generate.
The widening of NC 73 to four lanes needs to be examined. Currently this project is on the
needs list for the TIP but is not funded. This improvement would greatly improve access
from west-central Stanly County and Albemarle to Interstate 85, Concord, and Kannapolis.
Kendalls Church Road, which provides access to the cotton gin in the Millingport area, is
inadequately-sized for tractor-trailers that serve the gin. NCDOT recognizes the problem but
the cost in order to remedy the situation is large relative to other needs in the county.
Congestion was also brought up as an issue at U.S. 52 at North Stanly High School where
high school students are dismissed and shift changes at nearby industrial businesses occur
at the same time.
NCDOT has identified a 187-mile bikeway system in Stanly County consisting of bike routes
along existing roads. The system is illustrated in Figure 4-3. Table 4-2 provides a summary
description of each route.
Land Use Plan 4-7 6/02