Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[videtur quam contuor]

Welp.

It looked like one of those sections, for sure.

Blue Line progress astounding, nonetheless.

[Guest StuckInASuburb]

With the next semester almost upon us, I decided to get back into the college mood and take a walk around campus. More specifically around the light rail station. 

The pavilions and station platform are near completion, and it appears they are getting ready to lay down the rails in some parts.

View from inside Wallis Hall (dorms)

 

They also have poles set up on the bridge.

Bonus shot of the JW Clay station.

Also, when I looked at the area where the tunnel comes out on the university side, they have put down gravel and have a few pieces of equipment there.

[videtur quam contuor]

I tried to access the light rail side of campus On Tuesday and car access was blocked, at least from the South or East. Campus was as deserted as I have ever seen it.

[kermit]

^ summer school has mostly moved online.

[birky]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

^ summer school has mostly moved online.

Yep.  And most faculty are on 9-month contracts.

[RaleighHeelsfan]

How many people do you think this will help funnel into uptown daily? I think it will be huge!! I would have been all over it!!

[SentioVenia]

I wish it had been there when I was a student.  It will also be a good conduit between the main campus and the uptown building.

[Guest StuckInASuburb]

I can tell you this, my 21st birthday is a few months before the light rail opening up. This will be a huge thing, not having to have a DD or taking an uber.

[15895]

I'm 24, transferred to UNCC and at the orientation, alllllll the students talked about was taking light rail to uptown. The students there for orientation, the transfer advising students talked about how excited they were. It was the selling point it seemed

Edited August 4, 2016 by AirNostrumMAD

[SgtCampsalot]

I lived off campus for years at UNCC. The saddest thing was not being able to get to NoDa, the closest cool college-y type place nearby. Even just for the coffee shops alone, NoDa will be the biggest place for college kids, easily, over any other neighborhood.

Also, I got one more shot of the ped bridge overy 85:

 

Edited August 4, 2016 by SgtCampsalot

[GeauxCLT]

That's a pedestrian bridge? What's walking over, elephants? Seems way overkill for a ped bridge. 

[tozmervo]

It's not just a pedestrian bridge, it's a new road bridge. For the life of me I can't find it's CDOT project page.

There will be a second bridge built over 85 north of Harris as well. 

[urbanlover568]

4 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I'm 24, transferred to UNCC and at the orientation, alllllll the students talked about was taking light rail to uptown. The students there for orientation, the transfer advising students talked about how excited they were. It was the selling point it seemed

Welcome! Glad yall get to enjoy it at least! Are they giving you all passes so you can ride for free? Or students still gotta pay? 

[KJHburg]

That new bridge is  a connector road from IBM Drive by Vance High school to the Belgate development and on to N Tryon (by the IKEA and the adjacent Hobby Lobby center)  It is meant to relieve traffic from Harris Blvd. There will be no access to I-85. http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/epm/Projects/Transportation/Roads/Pages/UniversityPointeBlvd.aspx

[15895]

2 hours ago, mpretori said:

Welcome! Glad yall get to enjoy it at least! Are they giving you all passes so you can ride for free? Or students still gotta pay? 

It seems like everything is still up in the air as far as passes, what they're going to do from keeping students parking at the decks and walking to school, etc. but yeah, all the students are way excited about taking it uptown. More so than myself and I'm an UP nerd....

[Niner National]

11 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

It seems like everything is still up in the air as far as passes, what they're going to do from keeping students parking at the decks and walking to school, etc. but yeah, all the students are way excited about taking it uptown. More so than myself and I'm an UP nerd....

They announced they're creating some kind of pass for UNC Charlotte students and said they're release details shortly. That was well over a month ago I believe. No details released to my knowledge.

[SgtCampsalot]

Heck, whatever they end up doing could be read directly from each student's IDs. Wish they could have worked something out earlier. Four years ago I commuted via Lynx and Route 11 bus from New Bern station to UNCC main campus, I bought the "Student" pass for $1. I got a $35 fine because I wasn't paying attention that it was for "K-12 only". Whoops.

[tozmervo]

On 8/3/2016 at 2:17 PM, tarhoosier said:

I was outbound on 85 yesterday and saw a very large concrete beam on a tractor trailer with the escort vehicle for oversize trailing the monster. I knew it had to be a bridge section and only BluLineXtnsn is building bridges. The trucks exited 85 at IKEA so on my return I came down 29 and what a change in the six weeks since I have been there. I know all the unseen work is critical but this change in view in just weeks is astounding. I think they may make their 2017 opening.

It will probably be tied into the "smart card" fare system rollout that's been promised for the past couple of years.

[nmundo]

14 hours ago, tozmervo said:

It will probably be tied into the "smart card" fare system rollout that's been promised for the past couple of years.

Some of the newer vending machines say "Tap your 49er card" and the newer buildings also have contactless readers so I would not be surprised if this is the way they go.

[AuLukey]

My best guess is that the Blue Line passes will only be for residents as part of their housing fees.  Commuter students would still have to pay like everyone else, albeit possibly at a discounted rate.  There would be no other way to control students parking at the decks and taking the light rail in for free.  Yes, there are already students that cheat the system and park in adjacent lots and walk across to catch the campus shuttle, but they are taking the risk of getting towed by the land owners.  All students having a free pass would be opening a gateway for a free ride and significantly cut down on parking revenue for the school which is, sadly, a significant part of their facilities and maintenance budget.

I'd say the only deterrent for commuters would be the location of the final stop, it isn't even close to most of the educational buildings on campus.  Maybe still a selling point for parking passes if LRT is free?

[SgtCampsalot]

56 minutes ago, AuLukey said:

I'd say the only deterrent for commuters would be the location of the final stop, it isn't even close to most of the educational buildings on campus.  Maybe still a selling point for parking passes if LRT is free?

That is the one hilariously tragic thing about this whole situation. Like, if you're an art, music, theatre, or architecture major (Rowe, Robinson, Storrs), or even just need to take a math class (Fretwell), you would literally have to go the entire length of the whole campus to get there from the station. That's a non-starter for some. Then, on top of that, it's all uphill from the station.

Surely, surely, surely UNCC is planning on having dedicated shuttles from the station.

Edited August 7, 2016 by SgtCampsalot

[kermit]

1 hour ago, SgtCampsalot said:

 Then, on top of that, it's all uphill from the station

Both ways!

[southslider]

UNCC would likely continue to have three shuttle routes, as there are today.

[Niner National]

4 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

That is the one hilariously tragic thing about this whole situation. Like, if you're an art, music, theatre, or architecture major (Rowe, Robinson, Storrs), or even just need to take a math class (Fretwell), you would literally have to go the entire length of the whole campus to get there from the station. That's a non-starter for some. Then, on top of that, it's all uphill from the station.

Surely, surely, surely UNCC is planning on having dedicated shuttles from the station.

Thousands of kids walk from the dorms on that side of campus every day. It's like a 10minute walk across campus. 

 

While a more central stop would have been nicer, it's not a big deal. Campus isn't that big.

[rancenc]

Based on this 2014 report on obesity among college students, a little walking won't hurt!

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/05/college-kids-need-to-change-unhealthy-ways.html