Third Strike
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Posts posted by Third Strike
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Public meetings being held for the next phase of the Gold Line:
https://www.charlottenc.gov/CATS/Transit-Planning/Gold-Line-Extension#section-2
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3 hours ago, KJHburg said:
Question concerning the I-74 route near Wilmington:
As I was just down there and was wondering why NC is proposing a sharp turn south of this interstate BEFORE it reaches Wilmington. Why can't it at least go to I-140 outside of Leland before turning south toward Myrtle Beach? I-73 as I understand it will leave NC near Hamlet and enter SC going near Marion before connecting up to SC 22 an interstate-quality freeway that is already there and goes straight to Myrtle and North Myrtle Beach. I realize Myrtle Beach metro is the only I think metro area without an interstate connection but why would NC turn an interstate going towards Wilmington straight to Myrtle Beach?
NCDOT: I-74 Feasibility Study see proposed route here. Maybe some of transportation experts can explain this.
Congress were the ones that passed the proposed I-73/74 extensions. Same reason why I-74 shouldn’t be used in NC (never mind interlining with US 74) and why I-99 in Pennsylvania violates our “interstate grid”. To be far, I doubt NC will ever build that part of I-74, especially since it cuts through wetlands and it is incredibly low on the state’s priorities, since it would only really benefit South Carolina. I can see I-73 getting built to Myrtle Beach from NC, but not I-74. It’ll probably quietly end before reaching Leland.
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Construction starts Monday to restore the bus lanes on Independence Blvd. Should take about two months to finish:
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The Kings Square, which is the shopping center across from the Metropolitan, is up for sale. This shopping center is also next to the lot where Baxter Place would go. I wonder if the new owners would keep the shopping center, or pursue a complete redevelopment. Arby’s and a Bank of America are also on this block, but I’m not sure if they would sell their parcels.
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Is the old Sears space still empty?
With the future Blue Line extension slated to pass by the mall, the owners should really consider redeveloping this parcel for mixed-use purposes. Heck, even if they don’t want to demolish the mall, you can still do so much with placing shops, offices and apartments in the surrounding parking lot. In general, I’m honestly surprised many mall developers don’t try this approach before allowing the mall to completely shutter.
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3 hours ago, carolina1792 said:
The $1.3 billion in S-Line funding will almost all go to Wake County:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article282968553.html
Rated for 110 mph rail line from Raleigh Union Station to Wake Forest will be completely grade separated with 12 railroad crossing closed. Double and even triple tracking to accommodate some freight traffic. North Raleigh might get their own train station as Spring Forest Rd. Several roads in downtown Raleigh will be permanently closed but with pedestrian overpasses to compensate. Raleigh Union Station will get a second northernly facing train platform. NCDOT will try to see if they can use some of the funds to eliminate two major at-grade rail crossing in Cary.
Overall, $1.3 billion is not really a lot of money these days and is ultimately just enough to make improvements to a small section of the Raleigh-to-Richmond line.
Given that the previous NCDOT "Piedmont Improvement Program" almost all went to improve rail between Charlotte and Greensboro. It's nice to see some love going to the other end of the Piedmont.
I wonder if the section between Greensboro and Raleigh will get future investment. It’s single lined between the two cities and plenty of at-grade crossings.
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Regarding the Charlotte/Kings Mountain Amtrak proposal, does this mean a short route from Gateway to a new station in Kings Mountain or just adding a new stop for the Crescent? It’s highly unlikely, but I would love a new station for Belmont and the airport (connecting to the proposed people-mover), serviced by the Crescent.
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On 11/23/2023 at 7:59 AM, Matthew.Brendan said:
Would love to know how that came about. Because it needs to be replicated all over the city.
On 11/25/2023 at 7:15 AM, RANYC said:Holy hell, how did this happen and how can it happen more often?
Another article seems to indicate high rates of automobile crashes into utility lines as the main factor for the burial project.
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Central Avenue, between Prospect Street and Louise Avenue, will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the next couple of months. This is because the overhead lines are planned to be buried:
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So I’ve seen this question floating around several transit groups I follow, but how feasible would it be to use highway ROW for building high-speed rail in America? ROW acquisition is pretty expensive in America, but many highways, especially suburban and rural highways, have plenty of space that could be used for mass transit, especially for HSR. A greenfield option was chosen for the Charlotte/ATL HSR, but wouldn’t the I-85 option be a much cheaper alternative?
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10 hours ago, rancenc said:
University City area bar closes to make room for development. Let's wait for the type of development coming, unless the group knows specifics for this site!
Might be related to the Aldi project planned for that shopping center.
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Looks like merger talks between Cedar Fair and Six Flags are back on the table:
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2 minutes ago, Nathan2 said:They have a decent amount of room but double tracking is not necessary the entire length. You can have a decent frequency, probably up to 15 minutes, using a single track through the downtowns as long as there are sections where you add double tracking for trains to pass. There are plenty of examples out there of good lines that exist entirely of single track, with the stations as the only spot for trains to pass.
Spot on. I used to live at the terminus of the Pascack Valley Line, which runs from Hoboken, NJ to Spring Valley, NY. The line is mostly single track, except for some areas where it double tracks for train passing. The line is also about 30 miles, which is only about five more miles in length than the Red Line. There were times when the train would have to stop on these sidings for another train to pass, but the PV Line also runs trains in both directions every hour or so, which would be significantly more than the frequencies the Red Line would have, at least in the beginning.
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I wonder why NS would change their mind on potentially allowing passenger trains on their line. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t there some parts of the O-Line, between Charlotte and Winston-Salem, that’s been out of service for quite sometime? Maybe NS is hoping any passenger rail on this line means improving the line with federal funds? Either way, not complaining if this goes through, for both the Red Line and Amtrak service between Winston and Charlotte.
Edit: Also find it interesting they would consider selling the line outright. I hope the NCRR/NCDOT jump on that, if that’s an option, even if passenger rail comes later. Also interesting that Winston has a better chance of a rail connection to Charlotte than Greensboro. Depending on the frequencies and the time, could open up some economic doors for people living in Winston that want to work in Charlotte.
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3 hours ago, KJHburg said:
I think it would have to be an auxiliary of I-26. None of the even I-85 designations are available and are used elsewhere in the state. They might want to avoid I-226, because NC 226 is currently used and crosses US 74 in Shelby. I’m going to guess and say I-426, I-626 or I-826 would be used for this segment of US 74.
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On 9/9/2023 at 11:51 AM, Desert Power said:
Are there non-incumbents that are pro-transit? Most of the opposition to current elected officials seem even more anti-transit.
I agree with your point about the city's current leadership though. They are inept on multiple fronts. A lot of talk and very little action (unless a sports team wants money).
Ben Copeland is pro-transit and running for one of the At-Large seats. Democratic primary is next Tuesday.
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Cookout is buying the Wendy’s location at Midtown. I’m happy there’s a Cookout right next to Uptown, but disappointed that this site could have been better used for a mixed-use development:
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Asheville passenger rail line plan sees positive responses from WNC Rail Committee:
Seems like Norfolk Southern is looking forward to participating in the study of the Asheville/Salisbury passenger rail project. That’s good news and I hope this project is successful in taking off. If the project does happen, CATS and Iredell county should really work together on expanding bus access to Statesville, with a stop at the Statesville rail station. Seems like a no-brainer, especially with the planned BRT route that’s supposed to run from Uptown to I believe Mooresville.
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@kermitdo you think the P&N corridor would work well as a commuter rail line between Charlotte, Mt. Holly and Gastonia? Last I heard was that the NCDOT was struggling to get a freight rail company to lease the line.
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I agree with the posts saying Atlanta is more of a priority than Charleston. However, if we ever get an Amtrak connection between Charlotte and Columbia, then maybe Charleston could be a future extension for this line. Though, an extension to Columbia would be pretty significant on its own, since it would connect with the Silver Star and allow easier access to and from Savannah and Florida.
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ACWR has announced a Christmas train route, starting in the town of Star. Details of the route are still unknown, but it would be neat if Charlotte was the terminus (though I doubt it, especially if the Gateway isn’t done… Maybe NoDa near 36th Street?). Even if it isn’t Charlotte, hopefully it’ll run through the Uwharrie National Forest, which would be a scenic ride.
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Metropolitan, Midtown Redevelopment
in Charlotte
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Couldn’t take a pic, but there’s a sign on the Metropolitan building saying Burlington is coming soon. Guessing they’re taking the old Staples location.