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Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network


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1 minute ago, Jasons0013 said:

Little consequence...  Right.

I agree with that assessment. The only time the loss of Trade Street has been noticeable from a traffic standpoint is when 4th and 5th are lane-reduced or otherwise blocked and there aren't alternate routes, like Trade, available. 

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3 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

I agree with that assessment. The only time the loss of Trade Street has been noticeable from a traffic standpoint is when 4th and 5th are lane-reduced or otherwise blocked and there aren't alternate routes, like Trade, available. 

That is kind of my point.  Trade and Tryon do not really make sense to use to get to/from work when you are in a car, yet most people are ultimately going to somewhere on those streets or within a block.  Let the existing one way streets (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, College, and Church) carry the cars.  Let Trade and Tryon handle the smaller scale traffic.  It is better to be separate from cars to greatly reduce your intake of air pollution while biking too.  

I know others disagree, but I think this would be a transformative shift for a city that needs to be more walkable and bikable.  

Edited by Desert Power
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1 minute ago, tozmervo said:

I agree with that assessment. The only time the loss of Trade Street has been noticeable from a traffic standpoint is when 4th and 5th are lane-reduced or otherwise blocked and there aren't alternate routes, like Trade, available. 

 The whole Gateway area is a giant cluster **** right now.  Try sitting for 35 minutes a night just to get out of the parking deck at 700 W Trade.  All cars have to exit onto 5th St.  With Trade St closed, the police station, and Gateway Station all going on at once, yes there is a noticeable traffic  problem.   Couldn't imagine having Trade St. closed permanently. 

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3 hours ago, Jasons0013 said:

 The whole Gateway area is a giant cluster **** right now.  Try sitting for 35 minutes a night just to get out of the parking deck at 700 W Trade.  All cars have to exit onto 5th St.  With Trade St closed, the police station, and Gateway Station all going on at once, yes there is a noticeable traffic  problem.   Couldn't imagine having Trade St. closed permanently. 

Get rid of the street parking on 5th so the right lane isn’t blocked and then make the 2nd 5th street exit in the garage able to turn left instead of right only.  

How bad was the garage before trade closure. I have a feeling it wasn’t much better when that many people are trying to leave at 5 o’clock. The garage is pretty empty by 5:30. 

 

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So in light of the fact I was able to get out and enjoy this delightful evening I decided to do a little urban (and car free!) exploring, focused primarily on the streetcar construction. As my previous post suggested, I can say with near certainty that this is the start of track laying and station construction on the Central Ave side of the canyon that is Independence Expressway. I've included a few photos I took, perhaps some of my fellow UPers can provide insight. 

Not sure of the design plan here, but I imagine these pavers will serve some purpose, maybe a "Plaza Midwood" style station platform?611954155_IMG_3316(1).thumb.jpg.bbcc5595657c0993b686b3e58339aab0.jpg

Up next are a variety of photos I took of markings on the roadway. Keep in mind they just closed the road today. Perhaps someone in the know can provide me with insight as to what these markings might be indicating. 

IMG_3327.thumb.jpg.249def9b7ad5a20af80f8f1d50619ad7.jpgIMG_3328.thumb.jpg.506a16f8a9379b667c4a213091339328.jpgIMG_3329.thumb.jpg.45b6a29467739ad1329552e2a544ac37.jpgIMG_3317.thumb.jpg.4bfdfced4d8a27e0475e352343efa9ea.jpgIMG_3320.thumb.jpg.32163fac9cf4127a362657cf71853c90.jpgIMG_3321.thumb.jpg.507e6c5a6872b06828f720e6017eb42a.jpgIMG_3323.thumb.jpg.35a02cccb62ff0a31663a7db0c8b443c.jpg

Last, but not least, I can confirm via my friend/roommate that yes, they are beginning to lay track through Trade and Tryon, his company was doing soil testing. Interestingly this is the first time he's worked along the streetcar line, so he's not sure if they got contracted for the whole route or just a section, seems to be the most important section though. I didn't take many pictures uptown, my bad. 

I did take this picture though as I almost tripped, it seems that either heavy equipment or normal traffic has been running on the curb due to the narrow lanes. I'm curious who will fix this? Those granite curbs have been there for some time, hopefully they won't be value engineered, this is our square after all. IMG_3331.thumb.jpg.337478bcaeeabc067f23da723aba834e.jpg

 

IMG_3324.jpg

Edited by nakers2
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8 hours ago, nakers2 said:

So in light of the fact I was able to get out and enjoy this delightful evening I decided to do a little urban (and car free!) exploring, focused primarily on the streetcar construction. As my previous post suggested, I can say with near certainty that this is the start of track laying and station construction on the Central Ave side of the canyon that is Independence Expressway. I've included a few photos I took, perhaps some of my fellow UPers can provide insight. 

Not sure of the design plan here, but I imagine these pavers will serve some purpose, maybe a "Plaza Midwood" style station platform?611954155_IMG_3316(1).thumb.jpg.bbcc5595657c0993b686b3e58339aab0.jpg

Up next are a variety of photos I took of markings on the roadway. Keep in mind they just closed the road today. Perhaps someone in the know can provide me with insight as to what these markings might be indicating. 

IMG_3327.thumb.jpg.249def9b7ad5a20af80f8f1d50619ad7.jpgIMG_3328.thumb.jpg.506a16f8a9379b667c4a213091339328.jpgIMG_3329.thumb.jpg.45b6a29467739ad1329552e2a544ac37.jpgIMG_3317.thumb.jpg.4bfdfced4d8a27e0475e352343efa9ea.jpgIMG_3320.thumb.jpg.32163fac9cf4127a362657cf71853c90.jpgIMG_3321.thumb.jpg.507e6c5a6872b06828f720e6017eb42a.jpgIMG_3323.thumb.jpg.35a02cccb62ff0a31663a7db0c8b443c.jpg

Last, but not least, I can confirm via my friend/roommate that yes, they are beginning to lay track through Trade and Tryon, his company was doing soil testing. Interestingly this is the first time he's worked along the streetcar line, so he's not sure if they got contracted for the whole route or just a section, seems to be the most important section though. I didn't take many pictures uptown, my bad. 

I did take this picture though as I almost tripped, it seems that either heavy equipment or normal traffic has been running on the curb due to the narrow lanes. I'm curious who will fix this? Those granite curbs have been there for some time, hopefully they won't be value engineered, this is our square after all. IMG_3331.thumb.jpg.337478bcaeeabc067f23da723aba834e.jpg

 

IMG_3324.jpg

Per the city street closure lists they are not laying track on this portion of Hawthorne yet. This closure is for storm drain updates for the Gold Line. 

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10 minutes ago, sakami said:

Per the city street closure lists they are not laying track on this portion of Hawthorne yet. This closure is for storm drain updates for the Gold Line. 

I can confirm its storm water updates...the City sent out fliers about two weeks ago about it...Concerning the streetcar construction...they haven't even finished conduit installation on the Central side of Independence on Hawthorne...we are being neglected over here...at least the street is quiet for the most part.

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They are connecting the sewer lines to those on Central Avenue.  For months, they have been collecting the sewage in an underground "basin" at the end of the street, and regularly sending a truck out to pump out the contents.  This will allow the sewage to continue on to the Central Avenue pipes.

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5 hours ago, southslider said:

^One step forward, and two steps back.

But with even more toll lanes funded along Independence Blvd, Elizabeth should get used to the dis-connectivity.

I get that the city is incompetent, but I really find it hard that they would tear down the Hawthorne Bridge again for the silver line...maybe they would in like 25 years?  Whats the average useful life of a bridge? 

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36 minutes ago, NOLA2CLT said:

I get that the city is incompetent, but I really find it hard that they would tear down the Hawthorne Bridge again for the silver line...maybe they would in like 25 years?  Whats the average useful life of a bridge? 

I can’t find anything to suggest that the city is planning to tear down Hawthorne again, (to me) it appears that it’s just a thought/rumour here on UP.

Bridges can last for years, up to 70 years or more, so the city shouldn’t be that incompetent. 

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18 minutes ago, CLT704 said:

I can’t find anything to suggest that the city is planning to tear down Hawthorne again, (to me) it appears that it’s just a thought/rumour here on UP.

Bridges can last for years, up to 70 years or more, so the city shouldn’t be that incompetent. 

If it isn't designed for the Silver Line it would have to be (assuming that ever gets built).

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5 minutes ago, NOLA2CLT said:

Lets say its not designed for the silver line...wouldn't/couldn't Independence be modified to accommodate for the line?

I have asked around beyond the echo chambers of UP and there is a consistent acknowledgement from folks that the Hawthorne Bridge will again be in the way once they start looking at light rail down independence.  The most credible person I have spoken with has been a Construction team memeber for the Blue Line Extension who helped estimate during the bid phase of the Streetcar Extension.

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43 minutes ago, NOLA2CLT said:

Lets say its not designed for the silver line...wouldn't/couldn't Independence be modified to accommodate for the line?

The road is controlled by NCDOT, not CDOT. NCDOT has been  totally unwilling to sacrifice traffic lanes for transit. While that attitude could change I don’t think anyone would agree that removing a couple of lanes from independence is a good idea. 

It might be possible to run the rail in the express lanes without rebuilding the bridge???

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15 minutes ago, kermit said:

The road is controlled by NCDOT, not CDOT. NCDOT has been  totally unwilling to sacrifice traffic lanes for transit. While that attitude could change I don’t think anyone would agree that removing a couple of lanes from independence is a good idea. 

It might be possible to run the rail in the express lanes without rebuilding the bridge???

Thats what I thought was going to happen.  If the rail gets built, it would get built in the express bus lanes.  my vote is to Tunnel under everything!

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