City marks completion of I-77/West Trade Street Underpass project
A key project in the West Trade/Rozzelles Ferry Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) is now complete. The I-77/West Trade Street Underpass provides motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and CityLYNX Gold Line passengers a safe and comfortable connection between Uptown and Charlotte's Historic West End. The project is an important milestone in the continued evolution of one of Charlotte's most historic and culturally rich areas.
Among the most visible elements of the project is a pocket plaza that features decorative concrete, colorful benches, bike racks, lighted bollards and pedestrian-scale lighting. A large retaining wall on the south side of the underpass will feature a large mural created by a local artist.
The project, made possible through the City of Charlotte’s Capital Investment Plan, is just one of numerous public and private investments that are laying the foundation for transformation in the Historic West End. Five Points Public Plaza, situated at the confluence of West Trade Street, State Street, Beatties Ford Road and Rozzelles Ferry Road is slated to open in mid-summer. The plaza will be a community and cultural hub that will include an amphitheater, splash pad, swings, solar brick pavers, decorative walls and public art. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided the City of Charlotte $394,200 to support neighborhood engagement, planning and programming at the plaza and increase connections and promote inclusive, resident-led development of the area.
The city is looking toward the future through the Corridors of Opportunity initiative. With a $24.5 million investment, the city will focus on five key corridors across the city, one of which is the West Trade/Rozzelles Ferry corridor. The city’s role is to magnify and enhance the work that has already been done by filling in the gaps around infrastructure and services and helping to create fertile ground for growth that benefits those in the community and fosters an ecosystem of revitalization.
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