By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson’s Town Board has scheduled a public hearing Jan. 24 on the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project, including financing plans that would help pay for construction and operation of the line. At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the board also passed a second resolution authorizing the town staff to work with other area governments on developing the “value-capture options and other policies” proposed by the Metropolitan Transit Commission’s Red Line Task Force. Read the full story

$452 million project won’t happen without all area governments in, task force chair says

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

MOORESVILLE – Supporters of the Red Line Regional Rail Project north of Charlotte began their sales campaign in earnest Tuesday at a meeting of about 150 area elected and appointed officials. Leaders from across the region were there to hear the pitch, from Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and Mecklenburg County Commission chair Harold Cogdell to town commissioners from the Lake Norman area.

There were plenty of skeptics in the crowd at the Charles Mack Citizens Center: local officials with questions about financing, retirees worried about higher taxes, and conservatives philosophically opposed to rail transit. Read the full story

The Lake Norman Transportation Commission will host a special Red Line Regional Rail Project Summit on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charles Mack Citizen Center, 215 N. Main St., Mooresville. Consultants will give area officials an overview of the proposed 25-mile commuter and freight rail line from Charlotte to Mooresville. Read the full story

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

CHARLOTTE – Consultants Wednesday night outlined a 5-year plan to build the Red Line Regional Rail, a 25-mile commuter train line from Charlotte to Mooresville, and to pay for the estimated $452 million project through a formal partnership among local governments, the state and Charlotte Area Transportation System.

Under the proposed plan, the partners would cooperate by setting up a Joint Powers Authority (JPA), which would govern construction and operation of the rail line. The plan calls for the sharing of construction and operations costs:  25 percent from CATS, 25 percent from the state of North Carolina, and 50 percent from local governments.

Wednesday’s presentation came at a joint meeting in Charlotte of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and its Red Line Task Force. It included an updated estimate of the project’s cost – $452 million in 2018 dollars, adjusted for inflation. That’s slightly lower than the $456 million number state and local officials had been using, based on previous estimates. Read the full story

Deer continue to be a problem for drivers on Davidson Streets, even in the old part of town. Three deer-related accidents were reported this week, one Thursday morning on Potts Street and two others last Saturday on N.C. 73 near the Cabarrus line. The week’s police reports also include a couple of minor accidents in the Town Hall parking lot on Election Day. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

The N.C. Department of Transportation says repaving could begin soon on major roads across Mecklenburg County, including Grey and Davidson-Concord roads in Davidson and several back roads in Huntersville. Meanwhile, state engineers also are planning a resurfacing of N.C. 115 in north Mecklenburg, and Davidson officials and cycling advocates are lobbying for a road design that accommodates bicycles. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

HUNTERSVILLE – State and local officials on Thursday outlined a new approach to developing a commuter rail line from Charlotte to the Lake Norman area. They’re now pitching the 25-mile train line as an economic development initiative that would move freight as well as commuters. And they are proposing to create a new regional transit authority that would work across government lines to plan and raise money for the Red Line project. Read the full story

Carroll Gray told members of the Lake Norman Transportation Commission Wednesday night he plans to step down as executive director at year’s end. The 71-year-old Cornelius resident helped launch and lead the regional lobbying group over the past three years. He told DavidsonNews.net he has mixed emotions about the decision, “but I think it’s time to move on.” Read the full story