Charlotte gets North Carolina's first continuous flow intersection

CHARLOTTE (WTVD) -- Have you ever heard of a continuous flow intersection?

Charlotte is getting the first one in North Carolina.

The new intersection at North Carolina Highway 16 and Mount Holly-Huntersville Road opens Friday. It's part of a $7.2 million contract.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the design improves traffic flow and increases the efficiency of an intersection because left-turning traffic is separated from the main traffic flow.

Drivers will enter the left turn lane and come to a traffic signal about 500 feet from the intersection. Once it turns green, drivers will cross the opposing lanes of N.C. 16 before arriving at a second traffic signal to continue left.

The video below shows how it works: