North Carolina cyclists are rejoicing at the news that plans for a pedestrian bridge over I-277 have finally begun to materialize after 2 decades of procrastination.

For almost 20 years, residents of various parts of Charlotte, NC, have been able to access the city’s Uptown core with a unique urban infrastructural feature called the Rail Trail.

The 3.5-mile cycling and pedestrian artery runs along the city’s Blue Line metro, and connects the southwestern neighborhoods of Sedgefield, Southside Park, Brookhill, Dilworth, Wilmore, and South End to Uptown.

Per the project’s website, it is the best place to find quaint cafes, happening bars, galleries, concerts, and great food in the city, all enjoyed without the pressure of traffic.

However, the line abruptly ended at the LINX Blue Line bridge over Interstate 277. In 2018, 500,000 people, an average of 2,000 each day, used Charlotte’s Rail Trail, but for cyclists on the northeastern side of the Interstate, the charming thoroughfare must have seemed a world away.

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In its most certain meeting, the Charlotte City Council approved a $16.3-million bid from Blythe Construction Inc. to build a new pedestrian bridge to open the Rail Trial to the northern suburbs.

Funded by a mixture of state, local, DoT, and private contributions, the bridge is set for a second-quarter 2028 completion, according to Engineering News Record.

Renderings show a gentle bend in the 280-foot-long deck that will feature a 40-foot-wide concrete bike and pedestrian path. Slinky, snaking double arches strung with cables will aid in the suspension of the bridge, rising 40 feet at their highest point.

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Additionally, nocturnal renderings of the plans show a lattice of multi-colored light fixtures strung between the arches to give a touch of the Tokyo to Charlotte’s Rail Trail.