Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[Silicon Dogwoods]

 

I thought for sure that that was going to happen very soon. I thought the Feds were planning to fund the Orange line? Not yet. Orange and Durham have agreed to tax themselves as Charlotte does to support LRT. The Federal government gave them the green light to start planning the LRT routes.

 

This just proves in my opinion why we should focus on the Gold Line. With upgrades like synced lights and some dedicated ROW's and having its own lanes, it can be just as good as Light Rail. Some light rails operate just like the Gold Line. We need to get creative. Get the airport on board and use airport land for gold line extension, among many other things.

 

 

on the bright side, municipalities can raise fee's on vehicles from 5$ up to $30 now

[cltbwimob]

I do not think there will be any effect on the Blue Line Extension because I do not think this amendment applies to the project.  Here is the text from the budget bill:

MAXIMUM FUNDING EXPENDED FOR LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM PROJECTS SECTION 29.41.

G.S.136-189.11 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: Limitation on Funding for Light Rail Transit System Projects.

Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the cumulative amount of funds subject to this section that are expended for light rail transit

system projects shall not exceed the sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per project.

Jumping over to G.S.136-189.11 to which the budget bill refers in the above section:

G.S. 136-189.11 Page 1 § 136-189.11. Transportation Investment Strategy Formula

(a) Funds Subject to Formula.–The following sources of funds are subject to this section:

(1) Highway Trust Fund funds, in accordance with G.S. 136-176

(2) Federal aid funds.

(b) Funds Excluded From Formula.–The following funds are not subject to this section:

(2) Funds received through competitive awards or discretionary grants through

federal appropriations either for local governments, transportation

authorities, transit authorities, or the Department.

(6) Funds obligated for projects in the State Transportation Improvement Program

that are scheduled for construction as of October 1, 2013, in State fiscal year 2012-2013,

2013-2014, or 2014-2015.

In other words, the budget bill amends G.S.136-189.11 with a cap on LRT funding of $500,000 from the Transportation Strategy Formula.  However, since (a) the funds for the BLE have been received through a competitive award process, (b) the funds were obligated for projects in the STIP, (c) the BLE was scheduled for construction prior to October 1, 2013, and (d) construction was scheduled to start-and did indeed start-sometime during State FYs 2012-2015, it would appear that the BLE funds are not subject to G.S.136-189.11.  Since the new budget bill amends a statute that has no bearing on BLE funding, I assume that the LRT funding cap does not apply to the BLE, and only applies to future projects that did not have funds obligated and were not scheduled for construction pursuant to the above statute. 

If I am reading this wrong, would one of the legal types correct me on this?

Edited September 16, 2015 by cltbwimob

[HopHead]

I'm glad that it doesn't look like this budget change will affect the BLE. But I do have a really stupid question... What exactly does a $500k per year cap from the state even get you? I wouldn't gather much. To me it's more of an insult than anything than else. Not that we would wouldn't expect it from the knuckleheads in Raleigh. It's like divorcing your wife that you despise and making her take the pet you dislike as much but offer to pay for a vet visit once a year even though said pet has all kinds of needs.  

[Silicon Dogwoods]

I'm glad that it doesn't look like this budget change will affect the BLE. But I do have a really stupid question... What exactly does a $500k per year cap from the state even get you? I wouldn't gather much. To me it's more of an insult than anything than else. Not that we would wouldn't expect it from the knuckleheads in Raleigh. It's like divorcing your wife that you despise and making her take the pet you dislike as much but offer to pay for a vet visit once a year even though said pet has all kinds of needs.  

Basically they've told the Triangle if they want light rail, they will have to finance it through the property tax.

Raleigh's tax rate is so low compared to Charlotte's-.92 v 1.29 or so-that they could certainly afford to do it that way. And just yesterday, Raleigh city council voted to require rail in all transit plans for their city. I don't know what property tax rates are in Durham and Orange counties.

But raising property tax rates is a very hard sell, especially for a contentious issue like this. Raleigh skates by with low property taxes because the state (all taxpayers in North Carolina) pays for so many of Raleigh's amenities. It will be interesting to find out how badly they really want some sort of rail transit.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Silicon Dogwoods

[Spartan]

I guarantee you that if Raleigh/Wake tries to raise its property tax in order to fund its light rail, the NC Tea Party will come up with legislation limiting their property tax authority somehow.

[HopHead]

Basically they've told the Triangle if they want light rail, they will have to finance it through the property tax.

Raleigh's tax rate is so low compared to Charlotte's-.92 v 1.29 or so-that they could certainly afford to do it that way. And just yesterday, Raleigh city council voted to require rail in all transit plans for their city. I don't know what property tax rates are in Durham and Orange counties.

But raising property tax rates is a very hard sell, especially for a contentious issue like this. Raleigh skates by with low property taxes because the state (all taxpayers in North Carolina) pays for so many of Raleigh's amenities. It will be interesting to find out how badly they really want some sort of rail transit.

Yea, I thought the same in terms of the message they were sending. My point was that it seems like they are proposing to give pennies on the dollar to any municipality in the state that wants light rail. $500k won't go very far. 

[tozmervo]

Has the state traditionally chipped in on planning fees, or just construction budgets? $500k would certainly be a meaningful number for planning and design fees ahead of construction.

[Third Strike]

I noticed today that some streets on Google Streetview were updated in July. Here's a couple of links of progress:

Construction of First Ward Park and the light rail. If you turn around, you can faintly see the BLE bridge over the CSX:

https://goo.gl/maps/FoA04

Bridge near Matheson Ave:

https://goo.gl/maps/gLrxt

Progress around Old Concord. Note that if you go back a month, there were no sidewalks:

https://goo.gl/maps/w6ALg

Bridge near I-85 Connector:

https://goo.gl/maps/C92w8

Finally, the last section outside the Charlotte Research Institute. The streetscape along Tryon is moving along nicely. Note the J.W. Clay parking deck rising in the background:

https://goo.gl/maps/8t4xP

[15895]

UNCC Flickr has a lot of good updates of the Blue Line

UNC Charlotte Light Rail 02 8-27-15 by UNC Charlotte Official Flickr, on Flickr

 

UNC Charlotte Light Rail 09 8-27-15 by UNC Charlotte Official Flickr, on Flickr

 

UNC Charlotte Light Rail 08 8-27-15 by UNC Charlotte Official Flickr, on Flickr

 

 

So the Lightrail goes underground, correct? How long?

 

Edited September 18, 2015 by AirNostrumMAD

[southslider]

^Cut and cover beneath a short piece of northbound Tryon only just north of Institute Circle. 

[kermit]

And the TIFA loan for the BLE is now official:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/news/Charlotte-transit-agency-to-receive-TIFIA-loan-for-lightrail-extension--45846?email=wwgraves@bellsouth.net&utm_medium=email&utm_source=prdailynews&utm_campaign=prdailynews09/18/2015

The Observer article on the state LRT funding cap is here:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article35681537.html

While the article says the state funding restriction might impact the Red Line (if it ever comes back to life), I don't believe that is correct. The way the budget clause is written its very specific to Light Rail, which the Red Line certainly is not. That said, I am sure the current legislature would fall all over themselves to block funding to that project too if it ever gets moving again.

[birky]

“We thought we could put that money to better use on roads and bridges,” Rabon said. “The locals can use their sales taxes and use a bond if they would like. Light rail doesn’t serve the whole state. It serves a locale.”

 

Amazing. Link here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article36091740.html 

Edited September 22, 2015 by birky

[15895]

Amazing. Link here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article36091740.html 

you missed the best part about light rail being a dinosaur and backwards technology that is outdated or something

[Guest]

you missed the best part about light rail being a dinosaur and backwards technology that is outdated or something

I recommend everyone on this board email this asshat. 

[email protected]

[michaelef]

I already emailed him, and called him a dinosaur on twitter  

[cltbwimob]

It's somewhat ironic a man born in 1950 who has this as his legislative profile picture would call anything a dinosaur, especially a transit technology that is so embraced by millennials-the most educated and technologically advanced generation in our nation's history.  I guess when your ideas and policy positions regarding transportation are informed by the likes of Randall O'Toole, you are almost required to make such dumb comments.

Edited September 22, 2015 by cltbwimob

[rancenc]

It's somewhat ironic a man born in 1950 who has this as his legislative profile picture would call anything a dinosaur, especially a transit technology that is so embraced by millennials-the most educated and technologically advanced generation in our nation's history.  

And he is originally from New Jersey....I have actually noticed a lot of the Republican "Uber conservatives" are not even native North Carolinians.  The state representative  from New Bern who recently called the President a "Muslim SOB" on his personal facebook account is originally from Illinois, and of course Senator Rucho is from Massachusetts....

Edited September 22, 2015 by rancenc
left out word

[Windsurfer]

And he is originally from New Jersey....I have actually noticed a lot of the Republican "Uber conservatives" are not even native North Carolinians.  The state representative  from New Bern who recently called the President a "Muslim SOB" on his personal facebook account is originally from Illinois, and of course Senator Rucho is from Massachusetts....

So true. Some of most reactionary people I've met lately were from other states, mostly The NE for some reason. Some of them tell me they came south because they thought The South represented their personal values. You're spot on. 

[Dcarnys]

It makes sense though. Most of the Northern transplants (my parents and most of their friends) aren't coming from the cites up north, but the conservative suburbs . At least in my experience this seems to be the case.  

 

Edited September 23, 2015 by Dcarnys

[grodney]

Man LYNX was messed up 4pm-5pm (at least) yesterday.  They must have had a stalled train somewhere, and it was causing big trouble.  I was on the 3:50 outbound and didn't get to 485 until 5pm.  Historically they've done much better at that in dealing with problems -- at least the ones I've been present for.

In other news, at 485 a passenger was telling the driver that there is a "small-caliber bullet hole" in one of the doors on car 104.  Yikes.  I hate myself for not going back and taking a picture.

 

[kermit]

The important beams on the Brevard bridge (over the ACWR and Duke power access road) were going in this morning. Once the bridge deck is done the rail contractor should have a green light to get to work from 7th to just shy of 36th street.

I haven't been able to get a good look at the 36th street underpass in a while, but from both Tryon and N Davidson it looks far from done and has me worried about it causing delay. The news that Sugar Creek will close at the end of the month is good and since the tracks will be at grade (and the road will be elevated) that crossing should move quickly for the BLE. NCDOT has said the road won't reopen until the Fall of 2017 however.

The bridge over the NCRR at Craighead is about 50% complete and the Old Concord / Tryon st bridge is about 70% done. Excavation for the bridge over Harris blvd has also begun but that will likely be the last bridge completed.

Still no sign of rails going down in the storage yard area (that should be the first place we see progress), but there are lots of cat poles and foundations in place. Its nice to see progress, but I still think we are running about 2-3 months behind the initial schedule.

[kermit]

sorry, wrong thread.

 

Edited September 24, 2015 by kermit

[Third Strike]

So according to the Charlotte Observer, Sugar Creek Road won't reopen until September 2018? Was this a typo for 2017?

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/dr-traffic-blog/article36424638.html

[tozmervo]

It's a typo. Fall 2017. http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/Transportation/News/Pages/SugarCreekRd-09-28-15.aspx

[RiverwoodCLT]

NC light-rail funding cap draws bipartisan attacks

I hope this law is repeal.

RALEIGH

Urban legislators from both parties are teaming up in a bid to repeal a new provision in state law, enacted last week, that bars the state Department of Transportation from contributing more than $500,000 to any light-rail project.

The limit, a late addition to the budget law, cancels DOT’s commitment to provide $138 million for the planned $1.5 billion Durham-Orange light-rail line. Critics, including Gov. Pat McCrory, said the measure undermined the spirit of the 2013 Strategic Transportation Investments law, designed to remove politics from decisions about where to spend transportation money.

“I’m not a big supporter of light rail,” Rep. Bill Brawley, a Mecklenburg County Republican, said Wednesday. “But what I am a big supporter of is to have a process to assign projects based on the ability of engineers to calculate the benefits – rather than the ability of powerful legislators to get enough votes to spend the money in their district.”

Durham and Orange county voters endorsed light rail when they levied a local half-cent sales tax to help pay for it, said Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat.

“There are plenty of us who feel that urban areas should be able to make their own judgments about public transit, and it shouldn’t be dictated by the state,” Luebke said. “There’s a real effort going on by urban legislators from Durham, Orange, Wake and Mecklenburg counties to revive the light-rail funding, and I would say we have a good chance.”

Luebke and Brawley said the effort to repeal the $500,000 limit on light-rail funds includes Rep. Paul Stam, a Wake County Republican, who has said that the state should not spend money on light rail. Stam could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article36342390.html#storylink=cpy

Edited September 26, 2015 by RiverwoodCLT