GASTON COUNTY, N.C. – State transportation leaders are proposing big changes to the Garden Parkway project. North Carolina Turnpike Authority officials presented the new parkway plans to Gaston County leaders Thursday.

The toll road would connect the western section of I-485 through a southern route in Gaston County that eventually intersects I-85. It's intended to lessen traffic on the interstate.

Property owners have protested the proposal for years, saying it's too expensive, not needed and too destructive. But they say the state's latest parkway proposal is more to their liking.

Thursday, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority reported that they plan to modify and even eliminate a number of Garden Parkway interchanges and reduce the number of lanes.

The changes will reduce the overall price tag by more than $350 million.

But no matter what changes are made, some properties are still in the proposed road's path.

Construction of the Garden Parkway is planned to start in 2011. A public meeting on the new proposal is scheduled for the end of March.