Thank you for participating in the Monroe Road Multi-use Path online public meeting.
This meeting should last about 6 minutes. If you have any questions or comments, a link to a comment form is posted on the project web page at charlottenc dot gov slash monroepath. This comment form will go to a member of the project team. With your feedback, please mention how you heard about this meeting.
If you require assistance with this presentation, please contact one of the project managers, whose contact information is listed at the end of this presentation and on the project web page.
The purpose of this meeting is to share information about the project and to collect any comments that you may have. Comments will be collected until Friday, April 7, 2023 at 5 p.m.
The purpose of this project is to create a continuous 10'-wide multi-use path along Monroe Road, by leveraging three adjacent city projects. Collectively, this project and the three adjacent projects will improve connectivity and enhance safety for bicyclists and pedestrians by creating a continuous multi-use path along Monroe Road from Wendover Road to almost Conference Drive, approximately two and a half miles.
Monroe Road is a state-maintained four-lane major thoroughfare that runs east and west, with high traffic volumes and speed. The sidewalk from Eaton Road to McMullen Way is 5 foot in width and at the back of curb along most of the route. Sidewalk directly beside traffic is uncomfortable for pedestrians and does not accommodate bicyclists. As we will explain later, this project will replace the existing narrow sidewalk to accommodate both bicyclists and pedestrians.
City staff reviewed recent and planned investments in the Independence Boulevard corridor. Three separate City projects, the Monroe Road Streetscape project, the Idlewild/Rama/Monroe Intersection project, and the Monroe Road pedestrian hybrid beacon at Ashmore Drive, were proposing upgrades to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure within their respective project limits. These three projects would create multi-modal infrastructure that accommodates pedestrians and bicyclists north of Sharon Amity Road and south of Glendora Drive, but they would connect to the existing narrow sidewalks in the middle. Staff determined that connecting these three projects with a fourth project – the Monroe Road Multi-Use Path, the subject of this online meeting – would create a continuous, two and a half-mile-long corridor of pedestrian and bicycle facilities along Monroe Road.
The project will replace the narrow sidewalk along the north side of Monroe Road from Eaton Road to just before the Mecklenburg County Parcel. Currently this sidewalk is only 5 feet wide and is located very close to the roadway. In some places, the sidewalk is located at the back of curb with no planting strip at all. In the photo on the left and the rendering on the right, the narrow sidewalk and planting strip are located on the left side.
The project will replace this narrow sidewalk and planting strip with a 10-foot-wide multi-use path and an 8-foot-wide planting strip.
Please notice the extra width for the path and planting strip in the rendering on the bottom. The additional width will better accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists and provide greater separation from traffic. Unfortunately, the Monroe Road corridor is constrained by existing development in several places. Minor deviations from these dimensions are necessary in those areas.
This project team is currently working to finalize design plans. Once complete, we will acquire the necessary easements, relocate utilities, and put the project out to bid for construction. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2025.
If you would like to provide comments on the design, please use the hyperlink below. Comments will be collected through Friday, April 7, 2023 at 5 p.m. From the project web page, you can also subscribe to receive project updates via email or text message. Or simply text the word "monroe" to 732-24.
If you have additional questions or need assistance with this presentation, please contact Jonathan Hamrick, Engineering Project Manager with City of Charlotte General Services at 980-219-1785 or Jonathan dot Hamrick at charlottenc dot gov. Or you can contact Matt Magnasco, Senior Engineering Project Manager with Charlotte Department of Transportation at 704-582-1829 or Matt dot Magnasco at charlottenc dot gov.
We appreciate your interest in the project and look forward to your comments. This meeting is now complete. Thank you.