Scaleybark station

Scaleybark is a light rail station on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. The station officially opened for service on Saturday, November 24, 2007, and as part of its opening celebration fares were not collected.[2] Regular service with fare collection commenced on Monday, November 26, 2007.[2] Although it is named the Scaleybark station, it is actually located opposite Scaleybark Road across South Boulevard at its intersection with Old Pineville Road in a 70 feet (21 m) wide median.[3] It has side platforms, which sit on either side of the tracks, and a 315-space commuter parking lot to the west across South Boulevard.

Scaleybark
LYNX light rail station
Western side from across South Boulevard
Location3750 South Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28209
Coordinates35°11′27″N 80°52′30″W
Owned byCharlotte Area Transit System
Line(s)
  Lynx Blue Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Bus stands3
Connections CATS: 12, 30 [1]
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking315 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle racks and lockers
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedNovember 24, 2007
Services
Preceding station   CATS   Following station
Lynx Blue Line

Notable places nearby

Scaleybark branch of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

Public art

The station features a public art display entitled Furrow, created by Raleigh artist Thomas Sayre. Sayre's original vision called for a 30 feet (9.1 m) disk near Clanton Road and three additional disks, ranging between 12 feet (3.7 m) to 16 feet (4.9 m) in height at Scaleybark.[3]

The shape of the sculpture resembles that of a plow's disk harrows, and is located at the ends of the median approaching the platform. The six disks each are 18 feet (5.5 m) in height and weigh in at 11 tons each.[4] The materials utilized in the creation of the disks included 72 cubic yards of dirt excavated from the site of the I-485/South Boulevard station. The dirt was mixed with concrete tinted with iron oxide and applied to the steel discs in the Scaleybark parking lot. Each disc measures only 9 inches (230 mm) in width, and have been engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds.[4]

Additional works include bas-reliefs entitled Hornbeam by Alice Adams, Mexican Bingo motifs on both the pavers and shelters by Leticia Huerta and track fencing featuring sweetgum leaves by Shaun Cassidy.[5]

A canceled public art project for Scaleybark called for the restoration of the neighboring Queens Park Theater tower sign. To be created by New York City artist R.M. Fisher, the restored landmark was to have featured lighted panels at the base with backlighted paintings of long leaf pines, the North Carolina state tree.[6] The project was eliminated in January 2005 due to escalating overall costs for the project as a whole.[7]

Incidents and accidents
  • November 11, 2007: A man was struck by a train during the LYNX testing phase near the junction of Old Pineville Road and South Boulevard, just south of the Scaleybark station. The incident marked the first fatality involving a LYNX train and a pedestrian.[8]
  • July 10, 2009: The Charlotte Flash Mob group boarded the 7:33 train headed to I-485 at this station and blew bubbles until exiting at the next stop, Woodlawn Station. Over 40 people attended and it received coverage, both online and print, in the next day's Charlotte Observer. [9]

References
  1. "Scaleybark Station". Charlotte Area Transit System. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  2. Harrison, Steve; Kristen Valle (November 25, 2007). "Light rail, heavy traffic - Thousands wait in lines for a free ride on 1st day". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A.
  3. Whitacre, Dianne (January 26, 2006). "Changes for drivers too: Median to split part of South Boulevard". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B.
  4. Maschal, Richard (September 25, 2007). "Sculptures rise amid transit debate". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1A.
  5. "Scaleybark Station: Art in Transit". Charlotte Area Transit System. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  6. Whitacre, Dianne (September 9, 2004). "Light rail artists craft functional forms". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B.
  7. Whitacre, Dianne (January 11, 2005). "Light rail: Higher prices, later arrival". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1A.
  8. Bethea, April (November 12, 2007). "LYNX train kills man". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1A.
  9. staff, reports (July 11, 2009). "Flash mob blows bubbles to brighten commute". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 3B.
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