Independence Boulevard widening project will improve traffic flow on one of Charlotte's busiest road

North Carolina transportation leaders are holding a meeting to hear from the public on how they can improve traffic flow on Independence Boulevard from Uptown Charlotte to Matthews.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is holding a meeting from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at East Mecklenburg High School for public feedback. The department is working on a new plan to reduce congestion from Interstate 277 to Interstate 485.

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The current U.S. 74 widening project proposal includes adding an express lane and one general-purpose lane from west of Idlewild Road to I-485. Once complete, there will be one toll lane and three general-purpose lanes along Independence.

The proposed project also includes improvements to interchanges along Independence Boulevard to reduce congestion for drivers getting onto the highway. The $900 million project is projected to break ground in 2027.

"Every interchange is probably going to be touched in some way and it’s going to be redone in some way," NCDOT Spokesperson Jen Goodwin said, "and we may remove traffic signals from the remainder of the corridor out toward I-485 and what goes in it's place is probably going to be some kind of a bridge ... in an effort to help keep folks moving."