Proposal would connect Uptown with Dilworth

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A team of engineers and urban planners Thursday unveiled an ambitious proposal to connect Uptown Charlotte with the Dilworth and South End neighborhoods.

The plan, broken into two options, would create a large platform or bridge, known as a highway cap, over a portion of the John Belk Freeway.

In one option, a 2,700 foot-long tunnel would be constructed, sending the I-277 traffic underneath the platform between I-77 near Bank of America Stadium and the Kenilworth Road exit.

The tunnel could allow for the development of about 35 acres of land that currently borders the freeway, according to the engineering consultants who voluntarily reviewed the corridor this week for the city.

In a second, less expensive option, a platform could span the freeway between Church Street and S. Tryon, with a series of pedestrian bridges built to connect Uptown with Dilworth.

If construction were to begin now, the project would likely cost between $150 million and $300 million, the consultants said in a presentation to community leaders Thursday.

The city could fund construction by selling the land made available by the project, largely undeveloped property currently maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation, the consultants suggested.

Charlotte’s City Council is expected to review the proposal but is not expected to take any immediate action on the plan.