A two-day charrette kicked off on Tuesday in Charlotte to gather community input on ways to redevelop Interstate 77 and undo some of the harm it caused by its construction.
Consultants and city representatives discussed redevelopment plans with community members near Johnson C. Smith University. They explained the different concepts displayed on maps showing how I-77 and surrounding areas could be redeveloped.
The "Reconnecting West End" project aims to rebuild physical connections between the low-income communities and uptown that were severed when the highway was constructed.
"Right now, there are ramps on both Trade Street and 5th Street," said Julian Burton, the city’s transportation program manager. "So, if we are redesigning the interchange, we could potentially make it so that access north and south on the I-77 would be done just on one of those two streets,” Burton said. "And the other street wouldn't have ramps. It would just be providing a connection between the West End and uptown.”
Part of the project's goal is to make the areas more walkable and bike-friendly for pedestrians. The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot, which awarded the city a $1 million federal grant.
West End resident Shederick Mathews was pleased to see the conversation taking place, despite how challenging the efforts could be.
“You have the large interstate that kind of cuts through the neighborhood, so that's already a hard place to start," Mathews said. "But I think they're doing a great job of engaging the community, giving us different options, and then considering showing us what the future could look like even with those designs.”
The city plans to host more workshops over the next year.
