By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

With prospects dimming for commuter rail north of Charlotte anytime soon, officials in north Mecklenburg and south Iredell on Monday endorsed a new strategy aimed at re-shaping the debate over regional transit planning. The joint statement by Davidson and three other towns comes on the eve of Wednesday’s Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting, where area mayors hope to counter what they fear is MTC’s shift away from the north corridor.

The statement by the Lake Norman Transportation Commission is part of stepped up efforts to save the proposed 25-mile rail line from limbo.

“Everything seems to be grinding to a halt” in planning for the north line, Davidson Mayor John Woods said Tuesday. “We’re taking the initiative. We’re not satisfied to sit on the sidelines and let everything dry up.”

The Lake Norman Transportation Commission includes representatives from Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville. In a conference call Monday afternoon, the representatives agreed on wording for the joint statement. They began circulating it Tuesday morning, aiming it at the MTC, transportation officials, regional planners and anyone who might help influence transit policy and funding.

The MTC sets priorities for the region’s transportation system. Its voting members include mayors from Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville, as well as the Mecklenburg County Commission chair and the regional representative from the N.C. Board of Transportation. A key challenge for the three north Mecklenburg mayors is that they don’t have enough votes alone to influence transit policy.

The proposed North Corridor rail line is not an agenda item for Wednesday’s MTC meeting in Charlotte. But, Mayor Woods said, “We’re probably going to create one. We’re beginning to push back a little bit on the delays and the focus on one corridor and the lack of focus on another corridor,” he said.

CONNECTING MOORESVILLE TO CHARLOTTE

The proposed North Corridor Commuter Rail, or Purple Line, would run from Mooresville to downtown Charlotte. It would use heavier trains and have fewer stops than the existing Lynx Blue Line light rail system in Charlotte.

According to preliminary engineering studies, it would cost $375 million, though with insufficient funding available, it’s not clear when it might be built.

In the past, supporters of the line, including local officials, have argued that it would be quicker and cheaper than other lines under consideration. Land acquisitions wouldn’t be an issue since the right-of-way already exists (the Norfolk Southern rail line). And upgrading the tracks would be a relatively simple task, according to supporters.

Despite those arguments, recent moves by Charlotte officials have appeared to give a boost to other rail projects in the region.

Advocates of a proposed light rail extension to northeast Charlotte and a central Charlotte street car line have been lobbying to move those projects ahead, possibly at the expense of the north line.

At the same time, the weak economy has wiped out millions of dollars of county sales tax revenues designated for transit projects.

LIMITED FUNDING

Area mayors and the Lake Norman Transportation Commission worry that limited funding and the massive cost of the 11-mile northeast line ($1.1 billion at last estimate) could delay the start of that project for years. And that, in turn, could push back the start of work on the proposed Purple Line for a decade or more.

Carroll Gray, a Cornelius resident and executive director of the commission, said area officials hope to persuade Charlotte officials to rethink their evolving approach to regional transit.

“We’re suggesting they should be looking at the transit tax for adequacy, and for allocation thereof,” Mr. Gray told DavidsonNews.net. He said the towns want a “clear statement” from the MTC about how they’ll pursue transit, one that favors a “system approach to building this as opposed to a one-line focus.”

MAYORS CONCERNED

Said Mayor Woods: “We in north end of the county have become increasingly concerned with the situation regarding the development of the transit system. First we see Charlotte spinning off and doing its own thing and taking the (streetcar) into its own nest. Then we see a huge emphasis, all the focus on the northeast line.”

“We just don’t find it acceptable that the whole system is going to be delayed for 10 to 15 years while one arm of the regional system is contemplated and hopefully built,” the mayor added.

Mayor Woods said north Meck/south Iredell officials are pushing as a unified group for ways to accelerate the north corridor.

LOBBYING BEGINS

Monday’s joint statement appears to be an effort to raise the Lake Norman Transportation Commission’s profile, and send a clear signal to policymakers. It follows a lobbying trip last week by Mr. Gray and Jim Bensman, a Cornelius town board member who chairs the commission’s commuter rail task force. Mr. Gray and Mr. Bensman met in Philadelphia with officials from Norfolk Southern, which owns the rail tracks north of Charlotte that would be used for the Purple Line. They also met with officials and lobbyists in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Gray said they were accompanied on the trip by CATS chief John Muth. “They’re in the game with us,” Mr. Gray said.

LNTC STATEMENT

Following is the text of the statement endorsed Monday by the Lake Norman Transportation Commission:

North Line Continuing Strategy Recommendations :

The current projection of sales tax revenues indicates that there will not be sufficient revenues to fund both the Northeast/Blue line extension and the North Commuter Rail line. However, it is not possible to project this revenue long term as the economic picture is murky at best.

This reveals a fundamental problem in the current sales tax as the funding source for transit construction and operations which needs to be addressed. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) should review the composition of the sales tax as well as the current operational/capital investment allocations and determine whether structural changes are needed.

Furthermore, the Lake Norman Transportation Commission (LNTC) urges that steps be taken to preserve the ability of the MTC to finance its projects during the economic downturn. These steps include:

1. Recommit the MTC to a system approach to constructing the five lines to include the streetcar and adopt a sequencing of priorities, with an explicit commitment that should the Northeast line be chosen as the recipient of currently available revenues, then the North line will be next in line for funding.

2. Authorize an immediate engineering reevaluation of the scope of the North Line with the purpose of removing components to reduce the overall cost thereby making the North Line eligible for the Federal Small Starts program. In addition:

a. Initiate formal discussions with MTC/CATS ‘partners’ to further reduce costs by asking developers to absorb costs of transit stops to include parking, right of way and platform construction;

b. Open formal discussions with Norfolk/Southern to determine additional cost savings to be realized by reducing the scope of the project;

c. Evaluate a phasing approach to construction of the North line, seeking revenues from Federal, State or other sources as they become available

3. Begin a concerted lobbying effort with the North Carolina Congressional Delegation, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and other interested parties to push for changes in the upcoming reauthorization of the surface transportation legislation to give strong consideration to economic development and job creation aspects for project eligibility. Also, continue to advocate for the Northeast and North lines with NC DOT and Legislative leaders, while emphasizing that the North line is a ‘shovel ready’ project with both short and long term economic benefits for State and local governments.

4. Following the future decision to construct the North line, consider phasing of construction of the streetcar 1) to provide a link between the Gateway Station and the Blue line, and 2) to consider streetcar extensions to Central Piedmont Community College and Johnson C. Smith University.

The LNTC pledges to continue our partnership with MTC as we find alternative ways to build the LYNX system in order to fulfill the promise made to the voters of Mecklenburg County on two separate occasions.

Thank you