GREENSBORO, N.C. — Three major restaurant chains are moving into an already busy part of Greensboro.
Whataburger, Chipotle, and Starbucks are all planting seeds near the Four Seasons Mall.
Chipotle is pretty far along. Starbucks is just waiting for signage. Construction hasn't even begun on Whataburger.
They all sit along West Gate City Boulevard but according to the City of Greensboro Traffic Engineering Manager, Chris Spencer, there will be no access off West Gate City Boulevard.
With traffic in this area already busy, WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman found out what sort of changes are needed to ease some of that congestion.
For starters, developer Koury Corporations was responsible for creating a private roadway, Four Seasons Station Drive that allows access to those three businesses, as well as an existing Chick-Fil-A.
The developer is also responsible for making sure no signs or building get in the way of drivers views.
The City of Greensboro is responsible for making sure safety measures are put in place on either end of Pinecroft Road and Koury Boulevard.
For the most part it's limited access, limiting those driveways to 'right in, right out' and re-striping the roadway to make those modifications, " Spencer said, "in general, left turns create more conflict points, more opportunities for crashes, especially when you do it in the proximity to an intersection where there cued up traffic."
Executive Vice President of Economic Development with Greensboro's Chamber of Commerce, Marvin Price said these new developments bring nothing but opportunity, especially since this area sat vacant for years.
He said leaving it vacant was not an option for much longer.
"What's happening on a corridor right next to the Four Seasons Mall is a transformation. I think it says a lot about the level of growth that we're seeing, we're getting restaurants and national chains here that we didn't have before and I think the word is out about Greensboro and the Triad as a whole," Price said. "I think that this is an opportunity just to add more amenities, it's really just polishing a corridor that has seen tremendous growth over the past few years but with these national names in the area, I think it's just gonna bring more vitality to the area."
The city confirmed that this will be Greensboro's first Whataburger but not for long. Another is set to go up on West Wendover Avenue but there is no timeline when it will open.
According to a study by the city, nearly 3,000 daily trips are expected to take place here around these new businesses once everything is all said and done.