Above: A “complete streets” transformation of Rama Road in front of Rama Elementary School was envisioned by urban planners Kiehly Moore and Alex Borisenko of The Lawrence Group. Rama Road is just one street in the Monroe Road area listed for a potential upgrade.
In Part 1 of this series, we wrote about how the transit sales tax – if the referendum passes – would be used for rail and buses, and what that meant for the Monroe Road area.
The last part of the spending plan is for roads.
Forty percent of the revenue received from the transit tax will, by law, go to roads. But what does that really mean? And what does it mean for the Monroe Road corridor?
The city decides how the estimated $100 million a year is spent, rather than an appointed transit authority (like the funds attached to bus and rail). The city has published a roadmap for the projects to be considered for funding called “Blueprint for Charlotte Mobility Investment.” It is organized by city council district.
Funds designated for roads in the proposed Charlotte-Mecklenburg transportation referendum can be used for a wide range of projects, including improving intersections, adding new street lighting, creating or widening bike lanes and sidewalks, and resurfacing roads. A significant portion of the funds will also be dedicated to “smart” technology like traffic signals, pedestrian/bike signal upgrades, and other safety-focused initiatives like those outlined in the Vision Zero plan.
About half of the Monroe Road corridor (the half closest to Uptown) is District 5, and the half closest to Matthews is District 6. The projects listed in the 100-page book/blueprint are organized within Strategic Investment Areas (“SIA”) within each district.
MoRA volunteers recently met with city employees who are involved in developing and implementing projects within these SIAs to learn more. There are 21 SIAs total, with about eight of those affecting Monroe Road. These SIAs were developed based on data-driven analysis about projects that are likely to address the greatest needs for high-need areas, with a focus on connections between existing infrastructure and greenways and “quick-win” projects that can be implemented quickly and provide community benefits with less investment, time and disruption than large-scale “corridor transformation” projects.
Is MoRA for or against?
The referendum is not perfect, the allocations are not ideal, it is not the way we would have designed it. It doesn’t build the Silver Line out to Matthews.
However, the tax is a positive step toward fixing our city’s congestion, getting bus riders to work on time, and building shared-use and bike paths. It is an important step toward getting places other than by car.
For this reason, MoRA is in support of the transit referendum. We say Yes.
We hope you will read the details here and elsewhere and make your own informed decision.
Now that it is clear that a full-scale Silver Line that runs from Uptown to Matthews (and its accompanying rail trail) is not in the current transit plan, and only a partial Silver Line will be funded by the sales tax if it passes, MoRA continues to press for a Matthews-to-Uptown shared use path that allows residents to travel safely by bike, e-bike, scooter, or walking, which will make city roads less congested and make us healthier.
While there is no way to be sure, at this point, what projects to improve safety and access along the Monroe Road corridor will be implemented – or when – if the sales tax referendum passes, what is clear is that the sales tax would provide the city with a very large increase in funding for such projects in our area and across Charlotte. Regardless of the referendum outcome, MoRA will continue to advocate for our area to get funding for improvements.
Are there areas along Monroe Road that you think need to be prioritized for improvement? Send us an email here and let us know. As we (MoRA) have conversations with planners, we are building our own project priority list for the corridor. Your input will help.
Monroe Road Advocates (MoRA) is grassroots group of volunteers from Monroe Road neighborhoods, businesses, nonprofits, and schools. We’re connecting community in the corridor from Lupie’s/7th Street to NC-51.
