What is The Seam?
The greater Charlotte region is primed with a unique opportunity to provide a main trail spine that will enhance the downtowns, parks, connecting trail networks, and recreational opportunities within the Carolina Thread Trail network and create local, regional, and national impact. The Seam Trail is a signature trail that will bolster and celebrate the social, built, natural, and economic environment of the community, and can help propel the region forward to meet the transportation and recreation goals of each Thread Trail community along the corridor.
8 Downtowns
2 Counties
More than 60 miles of greenway
±101,500
residents will be in walking distance of The Seam!
(walking distance is defined as a ½ mile outside The Seam corridor)
±425,000
jobs will be within biking distance of The Seam!
(biking distance is defined as 2 miles outside of The Seam corridor)
Project Updates
Phase 1 Project Summary (coming soon)
Vision
The Seam will be a transformative corridor that stitches our Carolina Thread Trail communities together with a convenient and inviting active transportation spine from Statesville to Pineville that provides comfortable walking and biking accessibility to people of all ages and abilities, builds upon and optimizes the regional bicycle, pedestrian, and transit network, prioritizes equitable investments in marginalized communities, and celebrates the region’s rich history and cultural diversity.
Project Goals
To make the project vision statement a reality, the Seam Trail will prioritize the following goals:
Equity
Offer a variety of authentic and inclusive experiences that celebrate the heritage and modern culture of the communities connected by the Seam. Provide infrastructure and connections to destinations that cater to people of all ages and interests. Support the regional bike culture by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and mode shift along the corridor.
Connectivity
Safety
Trail Experience
Implementation
Culture
Alignment Evaluation Criteria
Access
Accessibility from Home
- Residential accessibility
- Connection to existing + future trail network
Access to Destinations
- Connections to major destinations + transit stations
- Trail-oriented development potential
- Directness of route
Access for Disadvantaged Communities
- Areas of persistent poverty (AOPP)
- Historically-disadvantaged communities (HDC)
Experience
Separation from Traffic
- Road crossings
- Vehicle separation
- Noise
Trail Character
- Trail character
- History + culture
- Diversity of trail experience
Trail Comfort
- Topography
- Shade
- Perception of safety
Feasibility
Speed of Implementation
- Funding
- Cost
- Property access
- Public support
A Brief History of The Seam
The Seam builds upon the foundational work completed more than ten years ago, in the Mooresville to Charlotte Trail (MCT) Technical Report. The 2013 report sets a framework for a 30-mile trail from Mooresville to Uptown Charlotte, making connections to Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville, and generally following the future Red Line commuter rail alignment. The MCT Report envisions an alignment that could occur with or without the future parallel Red Line but considers future rail stations in its planning.
The MCT was rebranded The Seam in 2021, and the alignment was significantly extended north and south of its original MCT limits. The Seam alignment currently being studied is more than 60 miles long, from Statesville to the South Carolina state line.
Progress
Ongoing Planning Study (2023-2024)
The ongoing planning study for The Seam will extend alignment from Mooresville to Statesville. This project will revisit proposed alignments in light of new development, ongoing roadway projects, and individual planning studies, coordinate with the CATS LYNX Red Line Study, and build momentum towards implementation.
LYNX Red Line Study
The CATS LYNX Red Line is a 25-mile commuter rail project will serve communities from Charlotte to Mooresville and could eventually expand further into Iredell County in the future. The rail will share tracks with freight operations on the Norfolk Southern rail line.
In 2022, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) approved $5M to update and advance the original 2009 Red Line Study. The study kicked off in November 2023 (behind The Seam study by a few months). The study will evalute new alignment options, evaluate different operating plans, and update station locations, track design, and the cost estimate from the original study.
Future Red Line stations are envisioned as integrated mobility hubs, offering first/last-mile connections to active transportation networks such as The Seam. Picture biking to the nearest Red Line station and seamlessly transferring to reach destinations beyond typical biking distance.
As of June 2024, negotiations between CATS and Norfolk Southern regarding the use of the existing rail corridor for commuter rail were underway. As the Red Line study progresses and negotiations with Norfolk Southern continue, planning for The Seam will explore opportunities for integration with Red Line stations.
