Charlotte Streetcar Opening Delayed Until June

Jan. 15--The opening of Charlotte's streetcar has been delayed by three months until June, the result of errors made by the contractor, a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Blythe Development, the city said Wednesday.

Jeb Blackwell, the city's engineer, said the contractors had put extra crews on the project but were unable to catch up after falling behind last summer. In December, the contractors had to remove 700 feet of track on Trade Street that had been improperly installed and was off by a half inch.

The city said the contractor is being fined $1,000 a day for the delay until the project is finished. The fines started Dec. 23.

The city expects construction to wrap up at the end of February. The city will then begin testing the 1.5-mile streetcar line, which will run from Time Warner Cable Arena to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. ..................(more)

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