Oct. 17. By Dave Vieser. For months, officials from the North Mecklenburg towns of Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, as well as the city of Charlotte have been working hard to rekindle the idea of a commuter line, known as the Red Line, that would operate from the Queen City to the northern suburbs.

Over the past few weeks, the city has purchased the line’s right of way from Norfolk Southern for $74 million, while elected officials in Charlotte as well as the three northern towns adopted resolutions urging the state to approve a voter referendum next year to increase the countywide sales tax for transit and road costs.

While these measures have been moving forward, local residents and officials have been asking just how much building the Red Line would actually cost.

The figure of approximately $640 million has been frequently mentioned as the most recent estimate provided by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

It turns out that this estimate is 15 years old.

“That estimate was from previous design work done in 2009,” said Brian Nadolny, Red Line project manager. “Formulating an updated cost is one of the final tasks of the Red Line design update. At the conclusion of that design update in early 2025, we will have an updated cost estimate.”

It would be safe to assume that the new updated construction cost will be many times higher than the widely publicized $684 million figure.

Kurt Naas, a former Cornelius Commissioner and founder of Widen I-77, a grassroots effort that opposed private toll lanes on I-77, said the  23-mile project could easily cost upwards of $2 billion. (See Letter here)

Naas

Meanwhile, Charlotte city officials said that the purchase would be beneficial in future years.

Background

Charlotte City Council voted 10-1 to approve the purchase of the O-Line railroad right-of-way, track improvements, and property rights for $74 million, according to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. The city council also approved the purchase of approximately 1.6 acres of property and any associated property rights located near the Charlotte Gateway Station for $17 million, for a total of $91 million.

“Council’s vote marks a historic milestone as we secure the O-Line for future commuter rail. I greatly appreciate all of our elected leaders who have worked to make this finally come to fruition,” Lyles said.

What’s next

Next up would be legislation to put a penny sales tax on the ballot next November. Problematic, however, is opposition from some members of the business community as well as Matthews Mayor John Higdon who said it was insulting to ask his residents to pay a sales tax that funds a station in another county.

A benefit

Half of the total revenue generated by the proposed sale tax would fund local road projects. With an estimated $200 million generated in north Mecklenburg over the first 10 years, there would be more funding for road projects, including pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements.

Quotable

“This funding would alleviate pressure on the Towns’ tax rates, enabling us to focus attention on other priorities, such as public safety initiatives, and parks and recreation spaces,” the mayors of all three North Meck towns said in a joint letter to residents in September.