News
NCDOT Lays Out Rea Road Extension and Providence Road Widening Near Weddington
By Tripper Wood ·
Two road projects that could reshape daily drives between Weddington and Waxhaw went before the public Thursday night. Hundreds of residents came to a drop-in meeting at Weddington United Methodist Church on Oct. 22 to look over the North Carolina Department of Transportation's designs, WBTV reported.
Project 1: Rea Road extension and N.C. 84 widening (U-3467)
- Rea Road would be extended east from where it ends at Providence Road, through undeveloped land, to meet Weddington Road (N.C. 84).
- N.C. 84 would be widened from two lanes to four, with a grass median, to just east of Waxhaw-Indian Trail Road in Wesley Chapel.
- Plans include new intersections designed to eliminate risky left turns, new traffic signals and new sidewalks.
- NCDOT's project manager told WBTV the designs are close to 90% complete and that about seven properties along N.C. 84 would need to be relocated.
- Timeline: construction on the Rea Road extension is slated to start in fall 2027, with the rest of the N.C. 84 widening scheduled for summer 2030. Both dates could change.
Project 2: Providence Road South widening (U-5769)
- Providence Road would become a four-lane, median-divided road from Rea Road to Waxhaw Parkway, continuing the divided section that already exists north of Rea Road.
- Intersections would be redesigned for safety, which means some left turns would become a right turn followed by a U-turn. Sidewalks and pathways are also planned.
- The road carries about 20,000 drivers a day today, and NCDOT projects more than 40,000 a day by 2045.
- Designs are about 70% complete. Around 218 parcels would be affected, ranging from small easements to full purchases of roughly 10 homes and businesses.
- Timeline: construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2029, subject to change.
How to comment
NCDOT is taking comments on both projects through Nov. 23, 2026, according to its meeting announcement:
- Rea Road extension (U-3467): call 984-205-6615 and use project code 7100, or email rea-road-extension@publicinput.com
- Providence Road South (U-5769): call 984-205-6615 and use project code 3254, or email nc-16-providence@publicinput.com
Deciding between the two towns? Our Waxhaw vs. Weddington guide compares them.
Sources: WBTV, Oct. 22, 2026, NCDOT, Oct. 19, 2026, WSOC-TV, Oct. 22, 2026