Residents of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, voted to institute an innovative funding method to support critical transportation infrastructure projects over the next three decades.
Approved through the Nov. 4 referendum, the county will not be able to implement a 1% local sales tax to fund a comprehensive transportation and transit plan. The approved proposal will increase the existing tax from 7.25% to 8.25% county-wide.
As part of the approval, the county established the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) to oversee project expenses and investment. The board will consist of 27 members appointed by the General Assembly, the city of Charlotte, county commissioners, the governor and local towns.
Officials estimate that the new measures will generate approximately $19.4 billion over a 30-year period. The generated funds will help advance critical transportation improvements across the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. These investments will prioritize improved roads, expanded rail, increased bus service and additional microtransit areas.
Funds created through the sales tax will be paired with $5.8 billion in federal funding to bring the total available investment in essential projects to $25.3 billion. The county projects that it will spend $138 million in the first year and $7.8 billion over 30 years to improve roads. These improvements will include new and enhanced roadways, sidewalks, bike paths and intersections.
An identical amount will be allocated to support rail construction over the same periods. The county will prioritize major rail projects, including building the Red Line commuter rail, connecting Charlotte to nearby cities, expanding the Silver Line light rail from the airport to Bojangles Coliseum, extending the Blue Line to Pineville and expanding the Gold Line streetcars.
The remaining funds – including $69 million in the first year and $3.8 billion over 30 years – will support bus and microtransit expansion and services. Plans include increasing bus frequency, building shelters and benches at approximately 2,000 stops and expanding microtransit services to a minimum of 18 new zones.
Photo by Aleksejs Bergmanis from Pexels
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