Independence Corridor | Charlotte, NC
The City of Charlotte has awarded American Engineering a $2.3 million contract to provide detailed planning and engineering design for several new streets and extensions. These projects seem simple – each adds connectivity of a street or improves the capacity of an intersection. However, American Engineering’s designs will allow for neighborhoods and commercial parcels – currently separated by physical barriers like Independence Boulevard or streams – to be connected. This new connectivity will help spur economic development in this important area of the Queen City.
The street connections were selected from a list of 50 projects identified as part of the advanced planning for two programs under Charlotte’s Community Investment Plan (CIP), Land Acquisition & Street Connections (LASC) and Independence Sidewalk / Bikeway (ISB). These street connections will improve access to properties along Independence by constructing parallel roads and improving connections to Monroe Road. By improving the ability for residents to connect to parcels and neighborhoods, commercial investment and needed infill projects will likely follow.
As part of our advance planning for the LASC program, we led a team of some of the best-known local and national planning, engineering, and consulting firms. Our team worked closely with the City of Charlotte to identify street connections and land acquisitions that implement recommendations from the Independence Boulevard Area Plan in support of economic development and corridor revitalization. Our staff provided planning and community engagement services.
American Engineering and its team worked closely with neighbors, community leaders, and even students from local CMS schools, to gather input on potential infrastructure improvements and street connections needed along the Independence Blvd corridor.