Is it just me, or has Charlotte turned into Baltimore South?

Whatever the reason, I’ve seen at least one car with Maryland tags every day since I relocated from my old hometown. But the parallels run far beyond that, and I’m willing to share them with anyone who’s willing to find out.

First off, Baltimore already has a beltway running around it, as well as a light rail line, both of which are currently under construction in Charlotte. The light-rail line is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and the last portions of I-485 should be done by 2013. As for the current Charlotte roads, I’ve already assigned codenames to them, using Baltimore names. Here are some of the more obvious choices:

I-85--I-95

I-77--I-83 north of Charlotte, and I-97 south of it

I-485--I-695

Now here are some more fun codenames, even though they’re not always in the proper places (the Charlotte names appear first):

Tryon Street--Charles Street

Mallard Creek Road--Cromwell Bridge Road

W.T. Harris Boulevard--Joppa Road

Sugar Creek Road--Loch Raven Boulevard

Graham Street--Dulaney Valley Road

Statesville Avenue--Falls Road

Statesville Road--York Road

Beatties Ford Road--Greenspring Avenue

Brookshire Boulevard--Northwest Expressway

Bellhaven Boulevard--Reisterstown Road

Freedom Drive--Liberty Road

Sunset Road--Timonium Road

LaSalle Street--Ruxton Road

Atando Avenue--Bellona Avenue

Brookshire Freeway--Northern Parkway

Trade Street--Cold Spring Lane

Morehead Street--28^th Street

Wilkinson Boulevard--Edmondson Avenue

John Belk Freeway--North Avenue

Woodlawn Road--Eastern Avenue

Tyvola Road--Lombard Street

Arrowood Road--Patapsco Avenue

West Boulevard--West Baltimore Street

East Boulevard--East Baltimore Street

South Boulevard--Hanover Street

Sharon Amity Road--Patterson Park Avenue

Independence Boulevard--Pulaski Highway

Monroe Road--Erdman Avenue

Randolph Road--Moravia Road

Wendover Road--Sinclair Lane

Eastway Drive--Cedonia Avenue

University City Boulevard--Perring Parkway

Oaklawn Avenue--Kelly Avenue

Rozzelles Ferry Road--Old Court Road

Tuckaseegee Road--Milford Mill Road

Those are the street renamings I have for the moment. Part 2 is coming soon…