William Puckett has been pushing the limits of public art since 2006, when he painted a 7,500-square-foot mural on the floor of a Charlotte mall.

But his latest project could be a new high - or low - depending on whether you're standing on North Davidson Street or Matheson Avenue:

A mural painted on the grungy underside of a bridge overpass.

All involved admit the Matheson Bridge Mural is a radical idea for Charlotte. It marks the first time an underpass has been lent for a mural - and the first time a privately backed mural has been allowed to unfold on city right of way.

For now, the patriotically themed painting is considered a test project, to see if more murals should be considered.

But some city staff also hope the idea will catch on, as a way to bring purpose to areas now ruled by graffiti vandals and the homeless.

Among the supporters is Charlotte's Neighborhood Grants Program, which recently provided $25,000, its maximum grant.

Thousands of dollars more have been contributed by the Arts and Science Council and NoDaRioty, a nonprofit that promotes the North Davidson arts district.

Neighbors also are pitching in with volunteer labor, including an effort this weekend to clear trees, brush and trash from the overpass.

"I see this as a movement to reclaim eyesores," said Lauren Schalburg, a neighbor and chairperson of NoDaRioty.

"This is the entrance to NoDa, an artists' community, yet I was afraid to walk underneath it. Now, it will become a destination to go see."

NoDaRioty came up with the mural idea. However, it took nearly three years for the project to get off the ground, including a competition among artists for the best idea.

Puckett won with a design based on Mecklenburg County's Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1775. He chose the subject in part because many streets in the North Davidson area are named after key signers of the Mecklenburg Resolves.

The mural will cover columns and embankments on both sides of North Davidson, giving it a three-dimensional feel.

Work began in April and should be complete by May 2012, in time for the Democratic National Convention. Included in the finishing coats will be a special product that reduces the ability of vandals to deface the painting with graffiti.

Puckett, who is partnering on the job with his wife, Lauren, is responsible for raising all the money. The couple estimates the cost at $43,000, not including a boom they're renting from Hertz to reach the high spots.

"What I like about this is the idea that it will be seen by people who wouldn't go to an art gallery," he says.

"It's also teaching about a part of history that we should be proud of and promoting."

For that reason, the project is being endorsed by the May 20th Society, which was created to promote the story of the Mecklenburg Resolves.

Scott Syfert, who co-founded the society, says the mural's design resembles the stained glass of a church interior.

"What I find really interesting is this is not the fuddy-duddy old style of art associated with historical groups," he says.

"This is the trendy people in NoDa doing it from a completely different angle. It's hip, youthful and cutting edge."

It's also big, covering an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 square feet.

That's bigger than all of Puckett's previous murals combined. He is fast becoming one of the region's best-known muralists, in part because his works are large and experimental.

Last year, he created a 1,200-square-foot "paint by numbers" mural for a charity, with dozens of volunteers painting between the lines.

In 2009, he covered 1,200 square feet of wall on the outside of a bar with 271 portraits of people who lived in the neighborhood.

All his murals are along North Davidson Street, near where the Pucketts live with their 3-month-old daughter, Eva.

Lauren Puckett says the couple have set their sights on eventually doing a mural that will cover the floors, walls and ceiling of something, whether it's a big room, overpass or tunnel.

They considered it for the Matheson Bridge Mural, but learned it would involve closing lanes of traffic for extended periods.

"We like the idea that people would actually feel as if they're walking through a painting," she says.