(Late-summer LYNX newsletter by CATS)

Few rainy days this summer means more productive working days! The civil contractor has been preparing for final paving along North Tryon Street.

CATS will also hold public meetings on Oct. 11-13 to share the latest project details and answer questions.

Recent progress

Crews are installing subsurface drainage in the median areas, grading the planting strips, installing sidewalks and curbs, paving driveways, and installing permanent traffic signals.

As we approach fall, crews will be installing crosswalks at signalized intersections, placing topsoil and seeding the planting strips, and continuing work on curbs, sidewalks and roadways.

All of this work leads up to crews paving the final layer of asphalt on North Tryon Street.

What’s coming next

North Tryon Street will have a new surface layer of asphalt from approximately Old Concord Road to Mallard Creek Church Road. Some areas of existing sound pavement will not be fully demolished; instead, just the top layer of asphalt will be removed to make room for the new surface layer.

Long continuous stretches of North Tryon Street will be paved at a time. Typically, these stretches will be between major intersections, for example, Old Concord Road to University City Boulevard. This technique minimizes seams in pavement to create as smooth a surface as possible.

Weather permitting, crews will begin paving the final layer of asphalt this fall. In order to ensure quality, crews cannot pave during rain or cold temperatures.

Get the latest news at LYNX public meetings Oct 11-13

Pedestrian bridge at JW Clay Blvd Station

The Blue Line Extension project team will hold public meetings to inform the community on progress of the light-rail extension, answer questions and share the overall vision of the Blue Line Extension alignment.

CATS Bus Operations will also be on hand to get your feedback on the Bus Rail Integration proposals for the BLE and other bus operations issues.

The two evening meetings will be held open-house-forum style with a presentation beginning 15 minutes after start time. There will be no presentation at the afternoon program downtown. Meetings will take place:

• 6-8 pm Tuesday, Oct. 11, at Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church, 101 W. Sugar Creek Road
• Noon-2 pm Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Charlotte Main Library, 300 E. 7th St. (no presentation at this meeting)
• 6-8 pm Thursday, Oct. 13, at New Hampton Presbyterian Church, 211 Hampton Church Road.

Keep up with road and lane closings on Twitter, Facebook

Get news about upcoming lane and road closings plus see new video and photos of construction on CATS Twitter and Facebook feeds.

• Did you know? When the Blue Line Extension begins operation next August, trains will need just 45 minutes, even during rush hour, to travel from UNC Charlotte to I-485 near Pineville.