March Construction Targeted for Charlotte Blue Line Extension

Preparations for the $1.6 billion Blue Line extension project in Charlotte, North Carolina, are nearing completion. Officials have penciled in March to begin construction on the 9.3-mile light rail line.

1 minute read

January 15, 2014, 2:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The Charlotte Area Transit System’s Blue Line Extension will eventually connect uptown Charlotte to the UNC Charlotte campus along a 9.3-mile route. Planners are targeting testing in December 2016 and a possible opening date of spring 2017. The extension will connect with the south line to total 19 miles of service. The existing line currently averages daily ridership somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 passenger trips and has been credited with spurring about 2,500 new and expected residential units along the route.

“Design work for the $1.6 billion Blue Line extension is more than 95 percent finished, and the city has closed on 261 of the 312 pieces of land it must buy for the light-rail line to University City,” reports Steve Harrison.

Charlotte is no stranger to the national transportation news cycle. Current U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx left his position as mayor of Charlotte to join the Obama Administration Cabinet.

Monday, January 13, 2014 in Charlotte Observer

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine