2021 INFRA Grants (the grants formerly known as TIGER (and BUILD))

[kermit]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:00 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

But exactly what voters have a problem with Charlotte’s trajectory? There’s almost zero upside in cheesing off the vehicle crowd of voters and the voters who would be receptive to such developments are already perfectly happy with the status quo. 

There seems to only be downsides to pursuing more urban infrastructure or ambitious goals or bigger gains in greenway & biking infrastructure until the voters demand it. And we need to expand that pro-urbanity benefits the entire city, not just a couple areas that that average Charlottean doesn’t care about (SouthEnd/Uptown). We can’t have policy based on 30,000 people in a city of over 700,000. Bike infrastructure, sidewalks, Safer crosswalks, more greenways etc benefit everyone from Highland Creek to Steele Creek. Focusing on uptown & SouthEnd is a hobby; not urban policy.

Having some trouble interpreting your intent here but I think I need to voice my dissent.

1) I don't think any suburban voter is happy with the current traffic / congestion situation, but the RAISE program was never designed or intended to solve car problems. Since the grant program only requires a 20% local match these projects don't take anything significant away from city-funded road building. I just don't see much cost (political or financial) to pursuing these opportunities, particularly when the federal government WANTS to send money to Charlotte for infrastructure.

2) I would suggest that ped/bike infrastructure that benefits the inner neighborhoods (including SE and Uptown) does benefit the entire city, especially when its 80% paid for with federal funds. These improvements make the city more attractive to visitors and potential migrants which will increase revenues. Any of these improvements will generate a FAR larger ROI than a new Panthers stadium (which just sucks money away from other local entertainment options), and will almost certainly attract more users over time.

3) I dunno, I am tired. IMO drivers need to STFU and be really thankful they are still getting heavily subsidized to destroy the urban environment and kill an increasing number of pedestrians (yes, I know this is not a winning political perspective. I am just cranky)

Edit: as long as gas taxes are so low that they only pay for half of the direct costs of driving (to say nothing of the environmental costs), drivers need to be reminded that they receive automatic multi-billion dollar grants monthly to support their lifestyle choices. A few million once a year for some new sidewalks is literally crumbs that are not worth beotching about. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by kermit

[nicholas]

2 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

Charlotte does seem to be getting notably small to no grants the last couple of years. Even compared to various (even small) cities in the Carolina’s.

But exactly what voters have a problem with Charlotte’s trajectory? There’s almost zero upside in cheesing off the vehicle crowd of voters and the voters who would be receptive to such developments are already perfectly happy with the status quo. 

There seems to only be downsides to pursuing more urban infrastructure or ambitious goals or bigger gains in greenway & biking infrastructure until the voters demand it. And we need to expand that pro-urbanity benefits the entire city, not just a couple areas that that average Charlottean doesn’t care about (SouthEnd/Uptown). We can’t have policy based on 30,000 people in a city of over 700,000. Bike infrastructure, sidewalks, Safer crosswalks, more greenways etc benefit everyone from Highland Creek to Steele Creek. Focusing on uptown & SouthEnd is a hobby; not urban policy. 

Im going to have to have to vote as Charlotte voters being the biggest problem followed by the city followed by the state GOP (as I’ve mentioned in other threads, the NC democrats have plans drafted and ready to go to drastically change the course of NC and it’s policies that would infuse billions in mass transit and other pro-urban policies). 
 

But how exactly are there downsides to winning grants, especially when they are largely federally-funded?  I don't see any since the city then contributes only a small portion of the money to these projects.  Plus there don't really seem to be many potential major suburban projects that are remotely feasible anymore (aside from some planned by NCDOT), as most major thoroughfares have long since been connected/widened, and I feel like even residents who complain about traffic would be somewhat hesitant to support widening the road outside their subdivision to 6+ lanes.

The only way to make widespread impacts throughout the city...is for city leaders to give a sh!t.  I feel like the past few years in particular, no one within the city council has really had any sort of vision for the city, or really done anything except virtue signal.  We hear all of them (well most of them anyway) cry about housing affordability, traffic, police brutality, gentrification, climate change, inequality, whatever else, etc...and then nothing ever changes.  I am in my 20s so I obviously can't remember this personally, but when you start going back through the decades, it seemed like large-scale things were actually getting done with regularity.  Of course, many mistakes were made...Independence Blvd, I-77 and I-277, etc.  But Charlotte also landed NBA and NFL teams within a decade.  Firmly solidified itself as a national banking hub.  Scooped the US National Whitewater Center.  Built a light rail.  And then, it felt like the people who cared and had the ability to get things done and push Charlotte into the next echelon, moved on, and were replaced with people intent on finding the Autopilot button because things were "good enough".  Now look at our disaster of a transit system, spiraling housing market, traffic congestion, etc.  It feels like we are failing at so many basic things, yet because we were set up so well by previous generations of leadership, people continue flocking here and further overwhelming the things we were already beginning to struggle with. 

Why are we only getting a nominal investment when we're 250 miles behind on building sidewalks?  I'd like to see what was even submitted because there are a LOT of historically under-served areas of the city that I'm sure would have been attractive candidates for additional grant funding.

[CLT Development]

23 hours ago, kermit said:

Thread title is out of date (again), and I failed to note what Charlotte applied for this year, but...

The 2023 RAISE (the funding formerly known as TIGER) grants have been awarded

NC got:

• Brevard (area) $24.5 million for a 19 mile shared use trail along the former NS tracks
• Charlotte (Sugar Creek) $12 million for "mobility hubs" a 3.5 mile shared use path and crossing improvements along W. Sugar Creek
• Raleigh $10 million for a paratransit maintenance facility
• 12 rural counties (including Rowan): $9 million Various pedestrian improvements (missing sidewalks, crossings, etc.)
• Lumberton $8.6 million: 2.1 miles of complete streets
• Chapel Hill: $1 million: Feasibility study for 25 miles of Greenway / Ped infrastructure

While the Sugar Creek project isn't nothing (its gets props for better connecting Hidden Valley to the Blue Line), I am once again dismayed by the lack of ambition and action by the city of Charlotte. Given our growth rates and political significance as the largest urban area in a swing state we really should be doing better in these competitions (IMO). The biggest part of the blame lies with the city, blame also goes to our house and senate members for not advocating on our behalf (but they can only work with what they are given by the city).

I increasingly feel like local micro-transit / ped / bike improvements must be done via guerrilla urbanism (the bus benches were a good start but its time to ramp that up)

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-06/RAISE 2023 Fact Sheets_0.pdf

Edit: This is what I am talking about -->

 

 

 

Street Improvements to Sugar Creek, what about Craighead, Greensboro, and Raleigh Streets because the amount of people I see walking in the middle of the road because either its SO overgrown over the sidewalk or just no sidewalk what so ever.

[kayman]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:52 PM, kermit said:

Thread title is out of date (again), and I failed to note what Charlotte applied for this year, but...

The 2023 RAISE (the funding formerly known as TIGER) grants have been awarded

NC got:

• Brevard (area) $24.5 million for a 19 mile shared use trail along the former NS tracks
• Charlotte (Sugar Creek) $12 million for "mobility hubs" a 3.5 mile shared use path and crossing improvements along W. Sugar Creek
• Raleigh $10 million for a paratransit maintenance facility
• 12 rural counties (including Rowan): $9 million Various pedestrian improvements (missing sidewalks, crossings, etc.)
• Lumberton $8.6 million: 2.1 miles of complete streets
• Chapel Hill: $1 million: Feasibility study for 25 miles of Greenway / Ped infrastructure

While the Sugar Creek project isn't nothing (its gets props for better connecting Hidden Valley to the Blue Line), I am once again dismayed by the lack of ambition and action by the city of Charlotte. Given our growth rates and political significance as the largest urban area in a swing state we really should be doing better in these competitions (IMO). The biggest part of the blame lies with the city, blame also goes to our house and senate members for not advocating on our behalf (but they can only work with what they are given by the city).

I increasingly feel like local micro-transit / ped / bike improvements must be done via guerrilla urbanism (the bus benches were a good start but its time to ramp that up)

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-06/RAISE 2023 Fact Sheets_0.pdf

Edit: This is what I am talking about -->

 

 

 

 

On 6/28/2023 at 4:00 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

Charlotte does seem to be getting notably small to no grants the last couple of years. Even compared to various (even small) cities in the Carolina’s.

But exactly what voters have a problem with Charlotte’s trajectory? There’s almost zero upside in cheesing off the vehicle crowd of voters and the voters who would be receptive to such developments are already perfectly happy with the status quo. 

There seems to only be downsides to pursuing more urban infrastructure or ambitious goals or bigger gains in greenway & biking infrastructure until the voters demand it. And we need to expand that pro-urbanity benefits the entire city, not just a couple areas that that average Charlottean doesn’t care about (SouthEnd/Uptown). We can’t have policy based on 30,000 people in a city of over 700,000. Bike infrastructure, sidewalks, Safer crosswalks, more greenways etc benefit everyone from Highland Creek to Steele Creek. Focusing on uptown & SouthEnd is a hobby; not urban policy. 

Im going to have to have to vote as Charlotte voters being the biggest problem followed by the city followed by the state GOP (as I’ve mentioned in other threads, the NC democrats have plans drafted and ready to go to drastically change the course of NC and it’s policies that would infuse billions in mass transit and other pro-urban policies). 
 

 

On 6/28/2023 at 3:10 PM, nicholas said:

I feel like that's been a consistent trend for a while now...a general malaise and lack of ambition from the City of Charlotte.  Wasn't there a report not too long ago saying that we're missing like 250 miles worth of sidewalks throughout the city?  It feels almost incomprehensible to be so far behind in that regard, and only land 3.5 miles worth through grants.  Although to be fair the Sugar Creek project will be a significant upgrade for that corridor (even though the multi-use path ends at Tryon St instead of continuing to the Blue Line , hopefully that last segment will be connected before too long due to all the planned redevelopment). 

I seriously wonder if long-completed projects, such as the East Blvd road diet, would even be considered by current leadership if they hadn't been done previously.  I'm struggling to think of a recent notable infrastructure project other than greenways, and we're still somehow seemingly a long ways off from finally seeing a Rail Trail bridge over 277.

Actually, there were 4 RAISE grant applications applied for within the Charlotte area. This the one mentioned above is the only one awarded to the region.  So the reverse is true, there is an ambition to do more transportation improvements.

However,  when the state of North Carolina has a law prohibition the use of STI funds towards non-vehicular infrastructure i.e., bicycling infrastructure, multiuse paths, and sidewalks then it's kind of difficult for the largest municipality in the state to do much except what it's been actively doing. Remember the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) is maintaining a much larger infrastructure inventory (in both CoC and unincorporated Mecklenburg  County) which is much more than any entity or jurisdiction in NC.

The irony is the IIJA aka the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act actually mandates that any federally-sourced transportation funds must include non-vehicular infrastructure planning, engineering, & design in any new infrastructure which directly conflicts with NC STI law.  

As I said above, the USDOT will not grant multiple discretionary grants to a region. The fact that we got this one is an amazing feat.

Finally, Congresswoman Adams represents a district that now covers only North and East Charlotte, North Mecklenburg County, most of Cabarrus including Concord and Kannapolis so it's kind of hard to just focus on Charlotte. Remember Jeff Jackson is now a representative in Congress that covers West and South Charlotte along with Steele Creek & all of Eastern Gaston County. Finally, Congresswoman Nikema Williams got those discretionary grant funds for Atlanta Beltline under the Democratically-controlled US House.  Nowadays not so much is as possible. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by kayman

[kermit]

2024 INFRA grants are tricking out (I still have not seen the official list so I might need to eat my words later). It appears that Charlotte (and NC?) completely stuck out on this round of grants. At the risk of being a broken record, I'll say that (IMO) the city / CATS and county (greenways) are really dropping the ball when it comes for putting in grant applications. If staff is too busy for this, I'll suggest that we are pretty significantly understaffed. We are in a time where there is a ton of federal money for infrastructure, we are a swing(ish) state, and a city that is an important beacon in the fastest growing region of the country -- we really should be getting huge chunks of federal largess, but it does not appear that we are asking for it.

EDIT: Julie Eiselt is passing the buck by saying we needed a state match for 'anything worthwhile".  I am not sure on how she is defining 'worthwhile' but this is mostly bullcrap, no state match is required as part of this program. I believe that some of the required local match can be in kind.

 

https://x.com/JulieEiselt/status/1751050177463370055?s=20

 

Edited January 27 by kermit

[nicholas]

I remember reading an Axios article a couple weeks back that indicated we have like 100 miles worth of funding for greenway construction through 2030?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, nicholas said:

I remember reading an Axios article a couple weeks back that indicated we have like 100 miles worth of funding for greenway construction through 2030?

This is misleading. Budgets allocate a dollar amount not a mile amount, and they are built by both the county and city. If one or the other runs out of funds from their “pot” then they wont be able to do every mile that is technically “funded”. With cost overruns and inflation I would certainly count on less than a hundred being completed from what is currently funded, and certainly later than 2030 with delays.

Edited January 27 by MothBeast

[kayman]

On 1/26/2024 at 12:52 PM, kermit said:

2024 INFRA grants are tricking out (I still have not seen the official list so I might need to eat my words later). It appears that Charlotte (and NC?) completely stuck out on this round of grants. At the risk of being a broken record, I'll say that (IMO) the city / CATS and county (greenways) are really dropping the ball when it comes for putting in grant applications. If staff is too busy for this, I'll suggest that we are pretty significantly understaffed. We are in a time where there is a ton of federal money for infrastructure, we are a swing(ish) state, and a city that is an important beacon in the fastest growing region of the country -- we really should be getting huge chunks of federal largess, but it does not appear that we are asking for it.

EDIT: Julie Eiselt is passing the buck by saying we needed a state match for 'anything worthwhile".  I am not sure on how she is defining 'worthwhile' but this is mostly bullcrap, no state match is required as part of this program. I believe that some of the required local match can be in kind.

 

https://x.com/JulieEiselt/status/1751050177463370055?s=20

 

Charlotte did apply for several federal discretionary grants