Light rail expansion plans to Matthews face hurdles

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The LYNX Blue Line extension is well underway from uptown to north Charlotte but officials are already looking to expand.

Transportation officials are working on the Silver Line plan. It would run along Independence Boulevard, cut over to Monroe Road and snake through Matthews and end at Central Piedmont Community College’s Levine Campus.

LINK: CATS Silver Line plans

“I think it’s an awesome idea,” said Matthews resident Jeremey Deberry. “I think it will promote business out here.”

“I think it would bring more people to this area potentially, just because there is a stop here,” said resident Lauren Deberry.

A lot still needs to be done before construction even begins on the Silver Line.

The plan has to be voted on and finalized, funding identified and land acquired.

“These things go through phases, and the first step is to get the vision right, and that’s where we are right now,” said Jason Lawrence, with Charlotte Area Transit Systems.

Lawrence has been working on the plan since last February. He has helped identify the route out to Matthews, but how the rail goes into uptown Charlotte is still something transit officials haven’t figured out.

“There is a lot of activity in uptown, and we wanted to get that portion right. It required more study and analysis to do that,” Lawrence said.

The Silver Line may be tied in with a line out to the airport. Transit officials said it could be 20-30 years before it’s all built.

“We want to get this into the long range plans for the region. This is another step in the process,” Lawrence said.

The cost is also expected to be higher. The Blue Line Extension cost about $129 million per mile. Based on those numbers, the Silver Line would cost about $1.7 billion.

The next step in the process takes place Nov. 16, when the plan is presented to the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

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