Feds Grant More Big Money to Charlotte for More Rail

[Jdog]

QUOTE:  "...FTA administrator Peter Rogoff said Charlotte’s existing line is “blowing the roof off of ridership.”
The contract, known as a Full Funding Grant Agreement, means the FTA will spend $580 million on the line..."

_______________________________________________________________________________________


Feds, city sign light-rail deal

By Steve Harrison (Charlotte Observer)
Posted: Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012

Commuters stand on the platform at the Charlotte Transportation Center/Arena stop waiting to board the CATS' LYNX Blue Line light rail on Monday, October 15, 2012. CATS will announce a full-funding grant agreement has been signed with FTA on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. 

The city of Charlotte and the Federal Transit Administration signed a deal Tuesday morning that commits the federal government to paying for half of the construction costs for a $1.16 billion light-rail extension.

In a ceremony at the 9th Street Trolley stop â€" which will become the first new station on the Lynx Blue Line extension â€" FTA administrator Peter Rogoff said Charlotte’s existing line is “blowing the roof off of ridership.”

The contract, known as a Full Funding Grant Agreement, means the FTA will spend $580 million on the line. The city of Charlotte and the Charlotte Area Transit System will spend $250 million and the N.C. Department of Transportation will spend $299 million.

The new extension could open in 2017. It will connect uptown to UNC-Charlotte, adding 11 new stations. Four stations will have park-and-ride lots.

The 9.2-mile extension has long been a dream of UNC-Charlotte, which wants to be better connected to uptown.

Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2013.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said the FTA pledge is the largest federal grant the city has ever received.

“We will double ridership again, and double the length of the line,” Rogoff said.



http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/10/16/3600805/feds-city-sign-light-rail-deal.html

[thelakelander]

Congrats to Charlotte.  The extension to UNC-Charlotte is a great economic coup for that community.

[simms3]

Props to North Carolina also for funding $299M.  That's a state that treats its cities really well, makes Atlanta jealous and I'm sure Florida, as well.  That's a very expensive LRT line, though!  Gotta be $50-$100M per mile?  Parts of north Charlotte are ripe to see the same sort of development that the southside has seen the past decade, but I'm sure the poor westside feels completely left out.  Charlotte's system is a prime example of serving wealthy yuppies and choice riders almost exclusively rather than the poor and transit dependent (in fact I feel like every light rail line I have ridden has served upper middle to yuppie residential neighborhoods versus heavy rail, which often serves downright ghettos and the CBDs of their cities).

[fsquid]

the extension will be running through some of the shittiest areas of Charlotte, so it will serve poor people until it gentrifies.

[vicupstate]

the extension will be running through some of the shittiest areas of Charlotte, so it will serve poor people until it gentrifies.

That gentrification is already WELL underway, and has been for several years now.   

[fsquid]

the extension will be running through some of the shittiest areas of Charlotte, so it will serve poor people until it gentrifies.

That gentrification is already WELL underway, and has been for several years now.   

really?  in the Sugar Creek area?  Once you get past NoDa, you best call Warren G and the Regulators until you get to the University.  Now, this should help the area.

[vicupstate]

the extension will be running through some of the shittiest areas of Charlotte, so it will serve poor people until it gentrifies.

That gentrification is already WELL underway, and has been for several years now.   

really?  in the Sugar Creek area?  Once you get past NoDa, you best call Warren G and the Regulators until you get to the University.  Now, this should help the area.

The plans for rail basically coincided with the revivial of NoDa, which is contiunuing to spread both North and South of NoDa proper.   

[fsquid]

Cool.  Love me some Revolution pizza