Charlotte has issued an RFP (request for proposals) for the construction of Phase 2 of its CityLynx light rail Gold Line, adding extensions totaling 2.5 miles at each end of the 1.5-mile Phase 1, which opened in mid-2015.
The extensions will run west from Charlotte Transportation Center to French Street and north along Hawthorne Lane from Presbyterian Hospital to Sunnyside Avenue. Construction of the $150 million extension is due to start before the end of the year.
The Gold Line will eventually be extended to 10 miles and is part of Charlotte’s 2030 transit plan, which is being implemented in phases.
The 9.6-mile north-south Blue Line opened in 2007, and is currently being extended 9.3 miles from 7th Street in the city center to the University of North Carolina Charlotte campus. The extension is expected to open in 2017.