Charlotte transit advocates are suggesting to build Silver Line on an adjusted route

A group of transit backers is championing a route for the Silver Line that follows existing freight tracks (in blue), compared with the longtime favored route (in red), which largely goes along Wilkinson Boulevard, Independence Boulevard and Monroe Road. (Image courtesy of Urban Charlotte Coalition)

Lower cost. The existing rail bed could eliminate the need to build expensive bridges and tunnels, and it could avoid land acquisitions that would be required along the proposed routes along roads.

Better connections to existing neighborhoods: Backers say it would also integrate better with neighborhoods instead of stopping at freeway-adjacent stations lined largely with strip malls and parking lots. To the east, the CSX tracks run mostly parallel with Monroe Road, crossing it twice. To the west, they parallel Wilkinson Boulevard on the southern side and run closer to the Charlotte airport’s terminal than under the existing plan, which calls for a station about a mile away. One slight difference is it takes a route through Chantilly, Plaza-Midwood and Optimist Park to get to uptown, instead of closer to I-277.

The group is working to spread the word among elected officials. They plan to attend a meeting about engineering for the Silver Line that the Metropolitan Transit Commission is holding next week.