What do you think our ‘gateway’ bridge into Charlotte should look like? Cast your vote

​The City of Charlotte is in the design process for a bridge over I-85 north of W.T. Harris Boulevard that would act as a “monument entrance” into Charlotte.

Before you question whether Charlotte actually needs a gateway of sorts, this I-85 North Bridge Project is first and foremost meant to benefit Charlotte’s transportation network, a city representative clarified. The bridge will be designed to connect Research Drive to J.W. Clay Boulevard and it will be structured to accommodate motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and public transit users.

The bonds to fund the project have already been approved, and the four preliminary design concepts feature two travel lanes, sidewalks, street lighting and a two-way cycle track that is separated from traffic.

Once completed, the bridge would become a direct connection between ​University Research Park, the future Doby Creek and Barton Creek​ ​greenways, ​the J.W. Clay station​ of the ​​LYNX Blue Line Extension and UNC Charlotte.

But, because of its placement, the city representative said, it makes sense for the bridge to serve as a visual gateway to Charlotte.

So here’s the fun part.

The bridge is intended to feature “elements that capture the culture of the region” and the city is looking for community input about the project.

By midnight on June 24, click here to rank the four existing bridge design concepts and to offer any comments about the concepts or the overall project. You can even pitch your own design idea. These four are just meant to offer inspiration for the final result:

A glimpse at what a drive across the bridge might look like, via Concept A:

Several public meetings have been held about the project, which you can catch up on here. Construction will likely begin in 2020.

“We will strive to incorporate the most popular features into the final design as the budget permits,” said Project Manager Dan Leaver in a city blog post. “The design will be one of the first things drivers see when they enter Charlotte, so we want to make sure it represents the community.”

Let’s make it an attention-grabber, at the very least.

Images: Created by HDR, Inc. for the City of Charlotte

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "What do you think our ‘gateway’ bridge into Charlotte should look like? Cast your vote."