Charlotte's well-trodden Rail Trail will see some detours starting Monday, Oct. 6, as part of the ongoing New Bern Drainage Replacement project. The east side of the trail, stretching from Poindexter Drive to New Bern Station, is set to reopen, giving pedestrians and cyclists back a piece of their routine path. According to the city's announcement, however, the flip side of this reopening is the west side's closure adjacent to Poindexter Drive for about 400 feet.
Commuters who frequent the west side will need to follow the detour signs, ushering them around the construction site. This inconvenience is penned in for up to 60 days, but it's worth noting, Blue Line operations won't skip a beat amidst the shuffle. The disruption is a trade-off for infrastructural investment – a small price for the city's long-term benefit.
Residents and visitors have become all too familiar with the orange cones and dotted detour signs. The official release ensures that wayfinding will be in place, aiming to minimize confusion and keeping the daily flow as smooth as possible. Trail-users should expect to navigate these changes for a fair chunk of autumn.
