North Carolina expressway opening to traffic

The new Monroe Expressway in North Carolina is now opening for drivers, which will cut journey times for many drivers in the city of Charlotte. Costing an estimated US$800 million, the 32km route lies to the South East of Charlotte and runs parallel to US-74 south of the I-485 route running around the city. The new road link utilises electronic tolling and connects Marshville with Stallings. The opening of the route is expected to make a major improvement for commuters in this highly congested area, reducing peak time traffic delays by boosting capacity. Users can pay the charge to use the whole route by mail, which costs $3.92, or they can use a transponder and pay just $2.54/trip. The Monroe Expressway is the first tolled route to open to traffic in the area. Additional tolled lanes are being introduced and road widening works carried out on other highways in and around the city, in further developments intended to reduce Charlotte’s traffic problems.