Streetcar project to be complete by end of year, CATS CEO says

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Area Transit System CEO John M. Lewis Jr. said Tuesday the streetcar project will be open by the end of the calendar year.

People in Elizabeth are fed up with the mess that surrounds the Gold Line streetcar construction project and took their frustrations directly to the city council the night before.

After dealing with literal roadblocks for years, neighbors are asking the city to step in and help out.

The issue stems from the city’s massive streetcar expansion. Once completed, the 10-mile Gold Line will connect Johnson C. Smith University to Plaza Midwood.

But neighbors have been dealing with years of construction, made even longer by major delays to the streetcar project and the Hawthorne Lane Bridge. They want the city to hire and pay for a structural engineer to examine their homes from all the shaking caused by the work.

Neighbors also want the city to step in and force the contractor to clean up the construction site, and on Monday night told city councilmembers they’re fed up.

“It has left our community divided. It has left us without a bridge and left us with dangerous conditions on a daily basis,” said Anne Lambert, a neighbor.

Those who live in the area are also asking for a clear timeline on when everything will be finished.

Last month, CATS told Channel 9 the Hawthorne Lane Bridge is on track to be finished in March.

The city plans to meet with neighbors sometime this week.

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