The task force received $185,000 from a combination of local, state and federal sources to conduct an initial study of a system envisioned as three lines radiating from Uptown Charlotte.

[11] By September 1988, the result of the initial Barton-Aschman Associates study was a 77-mile (123.9 km) system encompassing a loop around Uptown Charlotte and eight separate corridors radiating from the city center, at a total cost of $467 million.

[10] The corridors envisioned included a route along Albemarle Road to the east, connecting to SouthPark and Matthews to the southeast, Pineville to the south, the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport to the west, UNCC to the northeast, along Brookshire Boulevard to the northwest, and Davidson to the north.

Instead, the $14 million would be used to purchase abandoned rights-of-way for future light rail development as they became available, and to study a proposed line connecting the Wilgrove area in east Mecklenburg County with Tyvola Road south of Uptown Charlotte.

[12] In 1998, after nearly fifteen years of debate, Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-half cent sales tax toward implementing the 2025 Integrated Transit/Land-Use Plan, which included construction of a light rail network.

[13][14] Once the tax was approved, Charlotte was able to receive matching funds from FTA grants for financing construction, and planning for the South Corridor to Pineville commenced.

[15] Although light rail had been envisioned to connect Charlotte and Rock Hill in previous years, official planning for the corridor – later to become the Blue Line – did not commence until 1999.

[16] In February 2000, the Metropolitan Transit Commission unanimously approved the corridor and by April $8.2 million was allocated for the initial purchase of construction materials.

[20] Due to higher levels of traffic anticipated at a number of the stations along the route, CATS determined that bridges spanning the busiest road crossings would be necessary to prevent further congestion.

[22] By September 2006, estimated completion costs for the Blue Line had increased again, attributed to faulty planning and design by Parsons Transportation Group.

[30] The route was proposed for the then Southern Railway tracks, running parallel to both North Tryon Street and Old Concord Road, and was slated for completion at some point between 1995 and 2000.

Along the Norfolk Southern R-line ROW, the light rail tracks paralleled existing freight lines, and also included a station on the UNCC campus.

[31] The decision to end the line at I-485, short of Salome Church Road, was based on an estimated $30 million bridge and a projected daily passenger count of only 200 riders.

[35] On April 19, 2012, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) committed to paying 25 percent ($290 million) of the extension's estimated $1.16 billion final cost, with construction set to begin in 2013.

Attending the ceremony were Charlotte mayor Patsy Kinsey, UNCC chancellor Philip Dubois, FTA administrator Peter Rogoff and N.C.

Engineering challenges include depressing 36th Street in NoDa (North Davidson) and elevating the railway line in that area to make the intersection safer.

On January 27, the city awarded a civil construction contract to a joint venture of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure and Blythe Development Co., who would be paid $108 million for the first segment, from Uptown Charlotte to Old Concord Road.

The joint venture was formed to improve drainage, build bridges, maintain retaining walls, control traffic, and move water and sewer mains.

In the same month A separate contract for $130.8 million was awarded to Balfour Beatty to lay rails and install power stations and overhead catenary.

[44] Because bids were lower than anticipated, CATS restored some previously eliminated items, including additional ticket vending machines, a parking deck at Sugar Creek station, and a fifth level on the J.W.

CATS also intended to request additional enhancements, including expansion of the North Yard maintenance facility and construction of a pedestrian bridge at Sugar Creek station.

In the uptown area, initial grading had begun, as well as removal of overhead electrical wires originally installed for the Charlotte Trolley in the 1990s.

[79] Mecklenburg County elected officials announced in June 2007 the required number of signatures had been gathered and validated, guaranteeing a referendum on the transit tax.

[91] Jim Puckett, former Mecklenburg County Commissioner and a leader of the campaign to repeal the transit tax, said in the Charlotte Observer: "I have to admit, they are doing better than I expected... Our concern was whether we would have a white elephant, and it doesn't seem we do.

[92] UNCC transportation studies professor David Hartgen states that the line does not displace car traffic significantly as about half the ridership consists of prior bus riders.

Also, Hartgen dismisses a city report's claims concerning increased land use as a result, stating: "In short, the big winners are about 4,000 prior bus riders, 4,000 commuters living close to the line, and 400 South Carolina drivers.

[96] In January 2013, Baucom's club received a zoning variance to allow its continued operation at the same site, as a church and a residential area were both within 1000 feet of the adult establishment.

Baucom said he didn't know Cannon well and denied requesting him for help with permits; he declined comment on the federal allegations and has neither been charged nor named in court documents.

[96] On June 3, 2014, Cannon pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud, a charge commonly used when a public official takes kickbacks or bribes.

[97] In a statement issued after the new allegations were revealed, Ryan Daniels, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation, said the corruption probe would not affect federal funding for the light-rail extension.