by Leo Suarez

Study Continues On High Speed Rail In Raleigh and NC

Discussion about a high speed rail line from Washington DC, through Raleigh, to Charlotte has been mentioned before and we now have an update in the study process. With regards to Raleigh, David Foster, a project manager on the project, states:

The environmental work is substantially complete between the VA-NC line and Raleigh. The initial railroad horizontal and vertical alignment alternatives also are complete along this section. Roadway designs are essentially complete from the VA-NC line through Franklin County, and are in progress through Wake County. The Franklin/Wake County sections are some of the most complex due to heavy development.

Section 106 consultation with the State Historic Preservation Offices in both Virginia and North Carolina is still required. Efforts to obtain the necessary effects determinations for the individual historic resources in each state will begin as the design work is finalized.

The website for the project has a plethora of information, including the entire planned corridor shown with aerial pictures.

http://www.sehsr.org/

Looking at the downtown section we can see what is planned. Before looking, it is pretty easy to guess that the plans are to use the existing rail corridor that runs along capital BLVD into downtown. This makes most sense because of the planned multimodal transit center to be built in the warehouse district. The project timeline was updated last month with an estimate to have passenger service running some time between 2015 and 2020. This is all “dependent upon funding availability” but the gears are rolling and Raleigh may be a major hub for the east coast high speed rail line in the coming decade.

by Leo Suarez

Two-way Conversion of Lenoir and South St.

Approved back in September of 2007, the two-way conversion of Lenoir and South streets is another bullet point on the long list of changes that surround the new Raleigh Convention Center. The entire street will not be converted; just a couple blocks around the downtown core. Lenoir will be a two-way street from South Saunders to Wilmington and South will get the same treatment between Dawson and Wilmington. See it on a map.

This is no surprise that these changes are for visitors to easily navigate to and from the new convention center and Marriott hotel. The three major southern downtown entrances are covered with South Saunders, McDowell, and Wilmington streets having two-way access to Lenoir. Dawson St. is a major thoroughfare for visitors coming from the north on Capital BLVD.

New streetlights are up around the convention center on Lenoir St.
by Leo Suarez

Opening Date For Boylan Bridge Brewpub

I need to give props to a reader, Kyle, for the tip. I’m pretty excited about this one.

The Boylan Bridge Brewpub will open on AUGUST 25, 2008. That’s right, in 53 drinking days we will serve our first beer. (43 drinking days if you skip Sunday, 35 drinking days if you don’t drink on the weekend, and 16 drinking days if you only drink on the weekend.)

Hit their website for more.

by Leo Suarez

BeerCon: Woody’s City Market

Woody’s is a sports bar and restaurant with a neighborhood feel to it. Located in City Market, it is off the main strip and is a fun place to bring a group of friends. You can definitely see the local touch that Woody’s has with all the ACC and Canes gear filling the shelves and covering the walls. There are plenty of TV’s for you to watch the event of your choice and a stage for music and karaoke. If you have not been, I recommend getting down there on a Monday and sign up for the cornhole tournament.

Food
Plenty of TV’s
Stage for live music select nights

Website: http://www.woodyscitymarket.com/

205 Wolfe St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(go to map)
(919) 833-3000

by Leo Suarez

The Tucker Construction Update

Two cranes are being used to build what will be the largest apartment building in downtown Raleigh, The Tucker. The renderings on the website suggest that the building will have 3-5 floors depending on which corner you are on. This fits in well with the surrounding houses and shorter buildings. The floor plans also suggest that there will be no ground floor retail, rather apartment units that have sidewalk entrances. Last I heard The Tucker would open up in two phases with the first coming in summer 2009.

Location

The parking deck will be hidden behind the building.