Federal government agrees to fund Blue Line extension

Mecklenburg Times staff reports//October 17, 2012//

CHARLOTTE — The federal government on Tuesday agreed to fund 50 percent of the $1.16 billion Blue Line light-rail extension, a project that would expand the system from uptown Charlotte to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Peter Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, gave the city a funding agreement, officially committing to provide the last piece of financing needed to start construction of the 9.3-mile extension.

The city and North Carolina Department of Transportation are each funding 25 percent of the project’s costs.

The extension project includes 11 light-rail stations and four parking facilities.

Mayor Anthony Foxx said the extension is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs during the construction phase.