MATTHEWS, N.C. — As populations in cities like Charlotte and Raleigh continue to boom, it’s having a trickle-down effect on surrounding towns’ infrastructure from housing developments to roads.

Nearly a decade ago, people living in the Town of Matthews, just outside of Charlotte, were fighting against a “superstreet,” which was part of a proposed road widening project.

The fight inspired Town Commissioner Renee Garner to run for office.

“I want to see my kids have access to the freedom that I had,” Garner said. “To be able to go to the library on their bikes or to walk around town with their friends and not worry about them getting hit by a car moving at a high speed.”

Garner has lived in Matthews for most of her life.

“I have lots of stories from my childhood and from my mom who grew up here,” Garner said.

Many of those stories reflect the town’s growth.

“When I grew up, the neighborhood behind our house was there,” Garner said. “But what is now Greylock [subdivision] was horse fields … it was all farm.”

Currently, more than 32,000 people call Matthews home, as its big-city neighbor sees rapid growth and development.

However, as more people work and live in Charlotte, a growing number of commuters are passing by downtown Matthews, which leads to heavy traffic congestion along East John Street.

A plan to fix the issue has been in the works for years. And in 2016, NCDOT released a rendering of its design to widen the road. The design included a four-lane “superstreet” intersection in the heart of downtown, as well as large U-turn areas for tractor trailers.

One of those U-turn spots would’ve been built in front of Garner’s home.

“It would have taken a quarter of our front yard, so that freight trucks could turn around,” Garner said.

Garner fought back against the plan and created a Facebook group, named “Preserve Matthews.”

Hundreds of people joined the group and bumper stickers, signs and flyers were posted all over town in protest of the original proposal. It led Garner to run and win a seat on the town’s board of commissioners.

Garner says she didn’t want to see her neighbors lose their homes, and Matthews to lose its charm.

Many public meetings later, the town announced that the "superstreet" was canceled.

A plan to alleviate traffic on East John Street, however, is still in the works. But, Garner says she would like to wait on other road projects, such as on I-485, to be completed first. 

"And see what traffic looks like at that point," Garner said. "Divert traffic on I-485 to these larger quarters that are meant to handle heavy loads of traffic." 

As Garner and other leaders in North Carolina work to meet their small town’s growing traffic needs, Garner admits it’s a tricky balancing act.

“Everybody wants a safe town, and that really captures the essence of why they live where they live,” Garner said. “And I don’t know many people who want to see exponential change. It’s just figuring out those answers.”

Garner says once they get to work on the road near the downtown area, she would like to see an emphasis on pedestrian safety.

According to NCDOT’s website, construction on the widening project is expected to begin in 2025.