July 20. A stretch of Union Street near the intersection of Means Avenue in downtown Concord is closing as crews move and reconnect underground utilities. The work is part of the Cabarrus County Courthouse renovation/construction project.

The utility depths and existing utility crossings will require a full intersection shutdown for the safety of crews and the general public.

Traffic will be re-routed as follows: Motorists traveling northwest on Union Street will take a left onto Barbrick Avenue, a right on Spring Street and then a right on Cabarrus Avenue to get back to Union Street. Motorists traveling southeast on Union will take a right onto Cabarrus Avenue and then a left onto Spring Street to get back to Union.

Construction on the Courthouse project began earlier this year with crews working mainly nights inside the existing Courthouse. “We’ve completed the elevator shaft throughout the entire building and the walls that will separate the Courthouse annex building,” said Cabarrus County Area Manager of Operations Kyle Bilafer. Once that interior work is complete, annex demolition is the next step. That will be the first large-scale publicly visible work, Bilafer added.

In addition to the expansion, the project will create a public plaza on the current Means Avenue, which will allow for better access from Church and Union streets. The entire 250,000-square-foot expansion/renovation project is expected to last five years.

A virtual groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 6 at 4:30 p.m. to commemorate the project.