Nolan

It's better than an auto mall off IKEA exit if Top Golf decides to move there

I reverse commute from Uptown to Indian Land, I don't bother with 521, I just go through Fort Mill via 160/Fort Mill Highway or one of the back roads through Pineville.

NCDOT found a new contractor through the bond holder of the contractor that quit. The new contractor is Lane Construction. NCDOT said the completion date will remain the same.

I hope this doesn't delay the BLE time frame. So the soil where the incline/retaining wall to the light rail bridge over Craighead is unstable prompting the closure of Davidson from 36th to Craighead. http://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/light-rail-construction-causes-charlotte-road-closure/278785544

http://www.brookvillecorp.com/Files/Admin/PDFs/BROOKVILLE-Liberty-Modern-Streetcars-2015-WebRes.pdf The Dallas Streetcar layout is side seats and front facing seats

^Toronto still has issues with the Bombardier Flexity Outlook, some of the streetcars were poorly manufactured like loose parts, faulty under frames and sides. It all stemmed from bad manufacturing at its Mexican plants. Also, Bombardier is severely behind its delivery schedule to the TTC, and Toronto actually sued Bombardier. It's probably one of the reasons why Bombardier didn't submit proposals to CATS or another other transit agencie recently.

I think the Stadler looks awkward. Brookville looks decent aesthetically, and this is the streetcar that Dallas uses. http://www.brookvillecorp.com/streetcar-division.asp

The Siemens S70 streetcar version is 9 ft shorter than the regular LRV at 81 ft. CATS should choose the Siemens based on commonality of parts for easy maintenance. Actually Charlotte is going to try this concept this Sunday, May 1st. 7th and Brevard streets will closed in Uptown, and open up to foot and bicycle traffic only lining up with various activities and food vendors, and Davidson Street will also be part of this concept through NoDa. http://openstreets704.com/news/

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article74270367.html These renderings of the LRV/Streetcar is like pure sex... http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article74284692.ece/BINARY/Siemens_Vehicle_Renderings%20(2) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article74270362.ece/BINARY/Stadler_Vehicle_Renderings

Usually other cities combine or take up on one another's option on additional purchases on LRVs, like the Tide - Hampton Roads Transit acted on CATS's initial Blue Line option after our first 16 LRVs. However from CATS's FTA quarterly report, the LRVs for the BLE are nearly completed with half of those already completed in storage.

I believe they can't start the Sugar Creek grade separation until the Eastway bridge is reopened. Closing down Sugar Creek to start the grade separation will eliminate the only thoroughfare to North Tryon and over the RR corridor from East Charlotte. The Eastway bridge is creating a ripple effect on construction schedule.

It should even be better now since CPCC fall semester started.

We made national news.... http://abcnews.go.com/US/video-shows-charlotte-north-carolina-streetcar-rolling-control/story?id=32617967

I purposely drove behind a streetcar while it was out testing tonight, it was rather slow, about 15 MPH. As a transit supporter, I was a bit annoyed, nonetheless, it looked neat seeing it in person.

Similar article, same topic. Charlotte is listed with 76% of its city limits as suburban. http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/05/22/urban_density_nearly_half_of_america_s_biggest_cities_look_like_giant_suburbs.html

The state plans ROW acquisition in 2024 for I-77 South, and according to the Draft TIP, the widening will be broken up into two phases, from Brookshire to Woodlawn, and then Woodlawn to SC state line. Each phase was projected to to be around $500 million, and also no new free lanes, each direction will get two new HOT lanes.

Removing Brookshire is out of the question, because it'll go under construction as part of I-77 HOT lane project. Brookshire will be partially reconstructed from I-77 to the vicinity of the Church/College exits. Also there are long term plans to reconfigure the Independence and I-277 interchange to accommodate HOT lanes already.

Sadly, parallel parking isn't a required skill on the NC DMV driving test unlike a few other states, I didn't learn how to until I was in college.

Had Charlotte passed this ordinance, it'd have end up in the courts like Houston, and Houston has an openly lesbian mayor. I can see the right arguing over religious freedom, and it should be in their rights to deny anyone service or business if those individuals don't conform to their moral beliefs.

I wondered why did they allowed three lanes underneath Popular Tent when there's plenty of room for more? On the next phase of the I-85 widening, Dale Earnhart has a weird interchange, but it's due to the weaving between the rest area, so now those needing to exit onto the rest area ramp won't have to weave with those trying to get onto I-85 South from Dale Earnhart. http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/i-85widening/download/DaleEarnhardtBoulevardInter.pdf

I too love Chick Fil A's little bite sizes of hate irregardless of my political affiliation, I don't think Chick Fil A is capable of an urban design, a drive thru in PM would be horrible. I love Chick Fil A but I dread driving to one, the ones in South End and Cotswold is hell enough just b/c of the layout and the long lines, I often have to go inside a Chick Fil A, which I don't mind, just to avoid the drive thru.

As much as I love Target, the traffic in that area is horrible. The Harris Teeter parking lot is like a death trap ugh.

I think it's best to get the overpass over Independence rebuilt for the streetcar now then later when factoring inflation and construction materials,. It will have with the overall cost lowered whenever the next phase starts.

The article states that the extra wide shoulder should be open as a HOV lane is only a temporary solution if it happens at all, the next widening phase won't be until 2018, with a completion date of 2019 or 2020. So that if the DOT decides to let that extra spacing to be used as a HOV lane NOW, then they will have to figure out what to do when the lanes drop from 4 to 2 until the next phase of widening. The contractor only did paving to allow the extra room up to Johnston Road, between that and Rea Road there isn't really much room without having to lay down foundation for a road bed in the median. Essentially, the widening project is complete, it just need an extra layer of asphalt which is prohibited by the weather right now.

Then they are going to have to solve the issue of going from 4 lanes to 2 lanes after Rea if that extra wide shoulder is turned into a HOV lane, I could see that being a mess.