Lace up those walking shoes. This week, City of Charlotte, Charlotte Center City Partners, and U.S. Bank celebrated the start of the Rail Trail Bridge Project. The new bicycle and pedestrian bridge will cross I-277, linking Center City and South End through the Charlotte Rail Trail.

Once complete, the $16.4 million 280-ft walkway will include a 16-ft-wide concrete path, and is expected to link the CATS Blue Line Brooklyn Village Station to the Rail Trail under the East Morehead Street bridge.

Once complete, walkers can stroll along the bridge between South College Street and South Boulevard. | Map via City of Charlotte

Driving nearby? The left lanes on the John Belk Freeway near College Street are closed for construction through February 2026. While a timeline has not been shared, city documents note the bridge could be completed by mid-2028.

"This bridge has been a long time in the making," said Mayor Pro Tem Dante Anderson during a recent press conference. "For years, I-277 felt like a dividing line, a stretch of highway that made two communities feel a little too far apart. Today, that changes."