Changes are coming to Charlotte, North Carolina, after the city received approval to commit $400 million for housing, neighborhood and transportation projects. These initiatives will work toward repairing and improving roadways, supporting affordable housing options and developing dedicated mobility options for underserved, non-motorized travelers throughout the city.
The transportation projects will be the most significant investments, receiving $238.3 million for various planned initiatives. The funding will support efforts to enhance transportation safety and efficiency— repairing roads, reducing traffic congestion and installing the necessary amenities to make travel safer. Additional work will support sidewalk improvement projects to fix critical gaps, create sidewalk connections, implement scalable mobility projects and resurface streets.
Specific projects included as part of the city’s plans include building road extensions, improving intersections, installing small-scale infrastructure to address congestion and connecting bike facilities. Charlotte’s vision also incorporates plans to repair and replace bridges, upgrade traffic control devices and improve transit facilities. Additionally, the city plans to install, maintain and replace intelligent transportation systems.
The city will allocate $100 million exclusively to support affordable housing projects. The funds will help create and preserve safe, high-quality and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households.
The remaining $61.7 million will go toward improving neighborhoods across Charlotte. Public-private partnerships (P3) will be of particular interest for these projects, covering road improvements, pedestrian connectivity improvements and other infrastructure projects located near developed sites. A majority of the funds will go toward initiatives for building sidewalks, bike paths and economic development projects.
The city will reimburse infrastructure projects located in the Innovation District, including roadway and intersection improvements, traffic calming measures, bike lane striping and improvements for public sanitation and stormwater structures. Additional work on the Ballantyne Reimagined plan will involve reimbursing improvements for roads, multiple intersections and the Interstate 385 ramps. Finally, the city will cover costs for building a new roadway along Garrison Road North.
(Photo courtesy of Precisionviews)
