Charlotte, NC — Contractor Hiring Approved

November 2012

By a 9-2 vote, Charlotte City Council has given formal approval to hiring a construction contracting team to build its starter 1.5-mile streetcar line — an Uptown project financed mainly with federal funds, reports the Charlotte Observer. The council vote approved award of a $26.3 million contract to Balfour Beatty Rail Inc. and Blythe Development Co.

Construction should start early in 2013 for the 1.5-mile route from the downtown transit center to Presbyterian Hospital. Service should begin in 2015 using three Gomaco replica double-truck Birney cars currently stored out-of-service after funding cuts ended their service on a downtown stretch of the light rail line.