 University City's light-rail design has had subtle yet significant changes this summer as transit staff work with University City Partners and other groups to refine the plan.
The most significant change encouraged by UCP: restoring the North Tryon Street intersection that links CMC-University and University Place.
Meanwhile, Congressional budget negotiations will determine if Charlotte gets another $30 million to help pay for the next year's transit design work
The public can learn more about all of the progress toward building the LYNX Blue Line Extension at meetings on Sept. 29-30.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
The Blue Line Extension is the second half of Charlotte's first light-rail line, which opened in late 2007 between I-485/South Boulevard and center city Charlotte. The line carries about 50 percent more riders than planners had estimated. The city says that the line also has spurred several hundred million dollars in new development near several stations.
Now the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is working on plans to build the rest of the line, from Ninth Street to I-485 and North Tryon Street. The line would link UNC Charlotte, the burgeoning NoDa residential and business district and uptown Charlotte, including UNC Charlotte's new center city campus.
The project, currently estimated to cost about $1.2 billion, would be paid for by a combination of local, state and federal dollars. Charlotte hopes to present the project for federal approval in about a year. If approved, the line could open in late 2016.
CATS is about halfway through the preliminary design process, said Andy Mock, assistant project manager for the Blue Line Extension.
The meetings in late September will let the staff give updates on the project, including changes to the design and other issues.
One of those issues is funding, both for the design and construction. The Congressional budget bill approved by the Senate includes $30 million to help pay for design work. The House bill does not have any funding. The budget committee must decide how much funding, if any, to include in the final budget to be voted on by both houses.
DESIGN CHANGES: WHAT AND WHY
Earlier public meetings have dealt with the most basic design issues, including which path to follow and where to locate stations.
Now CATS staff is working with major stakeholders including UCP, property owners, the N.C. Railroad and UNC Charlotte, to refine the plan so it works best for all parties. Among the recent changes:
NO CLOSING FOR HOSPITAL INTERSECTION
The revised design reverses a decision by CATS planners to close the intersection at CMC-University's main entrance on North Tryon Street. The intersection serves the hospital's recently expanded emergency room as well as University Place.
Both the old and new plans call for a bridge with long ramps to carry light-rail tracks over Harris Boulevard. Transit planners initially proposed closing the intersection to prevent crashes. Trains need about 1,100 feet to stop at their normal operating speed of 45 mph, but the intersection is about 1,000 feet from the point where a train operator might first see a vehicle stuck on the tracks.
WHY THE CHANGE - Mock credits the hospital staff and UCP Executive Director Mary Hopper for suggesting that CATS look more closely at its initial plan to close the intersection.
The new design solves the emergency-stop problem by changing the bridge curvature slightly and slowing the train to 35 mph as it passes over Harris. The speed change adds about 8 seconds to the 28- to 30-minute travel time along the 11-mile path to uptown.
"It was a pretty clear result and easy to make that decision" to modify the plan, Mock said.
CLOSER STATION FOR NODA
The latest design moves the tracks and the 36th Street station to the NoDa side of the main Norfolk Southern line just west of Davidson Street - a much better arrangement for people walking to NoDa businesses and neighborhoods.
WHY THE CHANGE - The light-rail tracks through the NoDa area around 36th and Davidson streets will run in a rail corridor long-dominated by the main trunk line for Norfolk Southern. Those tracks lie on the Davidson Street side of the corridor.
Transit planners assumed that Norfolk Southern would not want to move its tracks so they designed the transit line to run on the Tryon Street side of the corridor.
However, Norfolk Southern and the N.C. Railroad are developing plans for high-speed freight and passenger service on this corridor and have determined that their tracks actually will work better if the main tracks and the transit lines swap sides.
MORE ROOM FOR CHARLOTTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The revised design now calls for the light-rail line to enter the UNC Charlotte campus further north than previously planned.
WHY THE CHANGE - UNC Charlotte requested the change to ensure that it has adequate space along North Tryon for the emerging Charlotte Research Institute campus. The change also means that the tracks will cross at grade through the new CRI entrance on North Tryon Street, then drop into a trench before cutting under North Tryon and onto campus.
NEXT PUBLIC MEETINGS SEPT. 29-30
The public can see the latest proposed changes to the LYNX Blue Line Extension and hear about the project's status at two public meeting - 6-8 p.m. Sept. 29 at Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church?101 W Sugar Creek Road; and 6-8 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Oasis Temple,?604 Doug Mayes Place in University Place. City staff will present an overview, show project maps and plans and answer questions. The same information will be presented at each meeting. Learn more about the project at www.ridetransit.org.
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