Foster Working On I-40 Upgrades At Flatrock

Cumberland County is working with the state to upgrade a section of I-40 near the new Flatrock Motorsports Park.

County Mayor Allen Foster said he has been talking with the governor, legislators, and T-DOT about the needed upgrades. Foster said the exit near the park already has traffic issues. He said the increase in people would make the problem much worse.

“There’s the potential from, for some very, very large races to be out there,” Foster said. “You know, fifty thousand plus, probably larger than that. And I’ve told them all, you know, that that is probably the worst exit in the county. We couldn’t hold our county fair off that exit right now. There just wouldn’t be enough ways of getting people off the interstate, so they’re looking at it.”

Foster said projects like these are usually slow, but progress is being made quickly at Flatrock. He said he hopes that problem can be addressed fast enough that it is dealt with before the park is ready.

“They’re really moving a lot,” Foster said. “They’ve got the first three and a half miles of track done. They’re building quadplexes and the lodge. I mean, all kinds of activity going on out there, and it’s going to be on us before we know it.”

Foster said the team working on Flatrock and the county are staying in communication throughout the project.

“They try to keep us informed with what they’re doing, you know, and then of course our building codes department’s out there quite a bit with all the construction that’s going on for the units out there,” Foster said.

Foster said this is a good time for Cumberland County as there is a lot of work going on throughout the area.

“T-DOT is on every corner of the county working and doing something,” Foster said. “It’s frustrating for the citizens sometimes, but I tell them this is a good thing. We’re very blessed to have that work going on.”