William Monroe "Buster" Boyd was an influential Mecklenburg County politician from Steele Creek.

Boyd lobbied Mecklenburg County Commissioners for a hard-surfaced road to be built from Charlotte to what was then known as Lake Catawba.

Ceremonies commenced with several acrobatic biplanes flying aerial maneuvers beneath the center span of the bridge.

[6] The new bridge first opened to automobile traffic with only two lanes on June 16, 2001,[5] with all four-lanes finally being officially completed on September 16, 2003[7] (two years behind schedule).

[5] In addition to replacing the 40-year-old 2nd Buster Boyd Bridge and finally expanding automobile traffic to four lanes, the newest Buster Boyd Bridge also provides a lake clearance five feet higher than before to allow for more boat traffic beneath the center span.