City council to spend nearly $1M more for East Independence Boulevard bus lane

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte City Council voted Monday night to spend another $950,000 in additional funding to reopen a bus lane in east Charlotte.

Years ago, there was a bus-only lane along East Independence Boulevard. It allowed bus riders to bypass traffic and get to their locations quickly. It’s been closed for years, but that could soon change.

Dana Ward and Brantley Hicks were at the transit center on Monday as they tried catching their ride home on a Charlotte Area Transit System bus. It’s a service they depend on all day, every day.

“I have classes three days a week, and he does too,” Ward said. “To work, to my mom’s house. I take the train too.”

They said they’ve spent a lot of time on city buses stuck in traffic during morning and evening rush hours.

“It’s kind of an issue when you’re sitting there in traffic and you don’t know if you’re going to get in or out of town in 25 minutes or not,” Hicks said.

It’s why they’re onboard with the city pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into reopening the bus-only lane along Independence Boulevard.

Years ago, when construction began on the Hawthorne Lane Bridge to make room for the streetcar, the bus-only lane down below was shut down. And thanks to a pier from the bridge being built in the outbound lane, it hasn’t been open for years.

In order to reopen the bus lane, construction and upgrades are needed.

On Monday, Charlotte City Council decided to give another $950,000 to finally start the project.

Last year, the city council put $750,000 toward the project, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation couldn’t land a contractor to do the work.

Thanks to rising costs and a labor shortage, the price has now gone up to $1.7 million, which is why Monday’s vote was needed for additional money.

(WATCH PREVIOUS: East Independence Boulevard bus lanes could reopen next year)

East Independence Boulevard bus lanes could reopen next year

©2023 Cox Media Group