Kannapolis City Council members are reportedly not happy with the state’s plans to radically redesign three Interstate 85 interchanges that bring traffic into the city.  They say the state hasn’t produced data to justify the changes.

According to the plans, at Lane Street, exit 63, a stoplight will be removed and three roundabouts, or traffic circles, will be used to control traffic entering and exiting the highway.

There are also plans for a new ramp at exit 60, Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, along what’s now a gravel road on the edge of their development.  That plan will require several houses to be demolished and, critics say, will leave the development uninsulated from highway sound.  The plan would also impact the Lowe’s Home Improvement store and adjacent businesses.

Finally, the U.S. 29 interchange between Kannapolis and Concord would be totally redesigned, replacing the cloverleaf with a new kind of interchange called a diverging diamond.

A community meeting will be held at the Kannapolis Train Station to discuss the changes, and N.C. Department of Transportation officials are slated to attend.