History Of The Monroe Expressway
For decades residents of Union County heard stories of a large bypass being built throughout their town. Stories of a new and faster way to get to and from Charlotte, NC. But, as time went on these stories started to seem like just stories, myths. Year after year the idea and hope of such a big project taking place started to fade away. Little did they know the Monroe Bypass Constructors LLC and their partner, Boggs Contracting, Inc., were behind the scenes developing the plans of what would later become the Monroe Expressway.
Monroe Can Finally Take Back U.S. 74
N.C. Transportation Secretary, Jim Trogdon, understood why hope was lost. “This project was a long, long time in development,” he said. But finally, 30 plus years after the first acre of land was acquired, construction on the Monroe bypass began in May of 2015. Pat Kahle, the president of the Union County Chamber of Commerce said, “the elusive dream has become a reality.” Monroe can finally take back U.S. 74.
Working Day and Night To Make It Happen
Over the course of the following three years, the Monroe Bypass Constructors, Boggs Contracting and plenty of other construction companies meticulously worked day and night on the bypass. They took extra time to make sure it wasn’t just a standard road. The road names on the overpass bridges look hand-painted and the decision to use red bricks, which is North Carolina clay, to build these overpass bridges speaks to North Carolinians’ heritage. They made certain that every job was thoroughly completed and every detail was accounted for before its grand opening on November 27th, 2018.
The Wait Was Worth It
Since its opening one year ago, hundreds of thousands of people have driven on the bypass including the Vice President of the United States. It has helped people get to places faster and ease the anxiety and emotions of being stuck in traffic. The wait was worth it.
4 years and $730 million later, people now have the choice to either sit in bumper to bumper traffic from Marshville, NC to Charlotte, NC or cut 20 minutes by bypassing 27 intersections on U.S. 74 and getting home just in time for dinner.
