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At its September 19, 2007meeting the MPO adopted a resolution recommending that the North Carolina Turnpike
Authority finance the entire project as a toll facility.
This project involves improving the US 74
corridor (Independence Boulevard) from I‑485 in eastern Mecklenburg
County to US 74 near the town of Marshville in Union County.
Work is now progressing on an environmental
impact statement (EIS) by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA).
At present, the NCTA expects to reach the following milestones:
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement –
Summer 2008
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Final Environmental Impact Statement –
Summer 2009
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Award construction contract – Winter 2009
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Project open to traffic – 2013
Role of the North Carolina Turnpike
Authority
The Monroe Connector/Bypass project is a combination of two
projects previously analyzed by the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT) the Monroe Connector (I-485 to US 601 in
Monroe) and the Monroe Bypass (US 601 in Monroe to US 74 near
Marshville). In 2005, NCTA adopted the Monroe Connector as one of
its first four toll candidate projects. In 2006, MUMPO requested
that the Bypass be adopted by NCTA and combined with the Monroe
Connector into a single planning and environmental study. This
request was approved by the NCTA Board, and administration of the
environmental analysis of the combined project was officially
transferred to the NCTA.
Tolling the Bypass
MUMPO’s 2030 Long-Range Transportation Plan includes the Monroe
Connector as a tolled roadway and the Bypass as a
non-tolled roadway. In order to ensure that the environmental
review process proceeds as efficiently as possible, the NCTA has
asked MUMPO to determine how it wishes to see the project built and
financed.
Two options have been presented by the NCTA:
Click
here to view a presentation made to the MPO at its
May 2007 meeting:
Estimated project cost
Preliminary cost is estimated between $345 million to $650
million (April 2007 dollars). Final costs will be determined during
design.
Map
This map depicts the proposed study area boundary for the
project. Alignments to be studied as a part of the EIS process have
not yet been determined.
NCTA Link
Click on the link below to visit the NCTA’s Monroe
Connector/Bypass website.
Monroe Connector / Bypass
For more information, please contact Bob Cook
at 704-336-8643, or by email at
rwcook@ci.charlotte.nc.us
For questions related to NCTA, please email
monroe@ncturnpike.org
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