Bridge Renamed After Fallen Charlotte Police Officer Mia Goodwin
This week (June 6th) the bridge that runs over Interstate 85 in northeast Charlotte, N.C. will be named after a Charlotte- Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officer who lost her life two years ago. The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced it has officially named the W.T. Harris Blvd. bridge after Mia Goodwin.
Officer Goodwin tragically lost her life in a crash early Wednesday morning on Interstate 85 South at W.T Harris Blvd. The crash involved a CMPD cruiser and two tractor-trailers. Earlier reports said officers were on the scene of a separate crash around 3:40 a.m. when two tractor-trailers on I-85 South collided with each other. That caused one of those vehicles to strike the officers.
Goodwin was one of the officers impacted by the crash. She had just returned from maternity leave in December of 2021. She was the mother of a 3-year-old, 1-year-old yr old and a 3-month-old. Her husband, also a public health worker, is employed by the Charlotte Fire Department. Shortly after her death, two GoFundMe campaigns were created to provide support for the family. So far, over $340,000 has been raised.
After working for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for eight years (since 2015), Officer Goodwin had gained much respect in the community. Co-workers say she truly loved serving her community. And that she was dedicated, committed and always wanting to do more for the people around her. A formal ceremony was held to officially rename the bridge that was previously named the “W.T. Harris Bridge.” It will now be known as the “Mia Goodwin Bridge.”
Intern Mariah Mitchell (@missrockwitchu) contributed to this article. Mariah is a communications major at Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte.
