Tyvola is a light rail station in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The elevated

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

is a stop along the

Lynx Blue Line The Lynx Blue Line is a light rail line in Charlotte, North Carolina. Opened in 2007, it was the first rail line of the Charlotte Area Transit System, and the first major rapid rail service of any kind in the state. The 26-station, line extend ...

and serves an area of mostly commercial and industrial businesses, with the neighborhoods of Madison Park and Montclaire located nearby. It also features a 464-space

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...

and local bus connections.

Location

The station is located at the intersection of Old Pineville and Grover Roads, which is south from Tyvola Road. Various retail businesses surround the station, including Tyvola Mall on South Boulevard.

Artwork

Located at street level, beneath the station's platform, is the sculpture entitled ''Reconstructed Dwelling'', by

Dennis Oppenheim Dennis Oppenheim (September 6, 1938 – January 21, 2011) was an American conceptual artist, performance artist, earth artist, sculptor and photographer. Dennis Oppenheim's early artistic practice is an epistemological questioning about the nat ...

. Created in 2007, it features a stencil of a home floor plan, but with parts of the home stacked together and upside-down next to it. The sculpture is part of the CATS Art in Transit program.

History

The station was part of the overall planning and construction of the LYNX Blue Line; starting in 1999, it was approved in February 2000 and construction began on February 26, 2005. Because Tyvola Road had the highest traffic count along the corridor, with an estimated 45 thousand vehicles a day, and an active

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway (U.S.), Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the ...

rail crossing just south, an elevated station was selected for the location. Beginning on January 4, 2006, the installation of the concrete girders, ranging in size between to , commenced for the construction of the elevated sections. All pieces were in place by February. The station officially opened for service on Saturday, November 24, 2007, and as part of its opening celebration fares were not collected. Regular service with fare collection began on Monday, November 26, 2007.

Station layout

The station is located on the Tyvola viaduct, which spans a distance of , flying over Tyvola Road, Grover Road, and Norfolk Southern rail. It consists of an island platform, two covered waiting areas, and both elevator and stairs that connect the platform level to street level; other amenities include ticket vending machines, emergency call box, and bicycle racks. The station also features several art installations including a

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

basin designed to look like

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

, the North Carolina state flower, by Nancy Blum.

Bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

entitled ''Hornbeam'', by Alice Adams. Plaid motifs on both the pavers and shelters, by Leticia Huerta; and the painting of the viaduct and retaining walls, by Marek Ranis. Two surface

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

s make-up the 464-space park and ride. The first is located directly beneath the station and includes four bus bays, with entrance/exits on both Old Pineville and Grover Roads. The second is adjacent to the station, with entrance/exits on both South Boulevard and Grover Road. Parking is free for patrons for either bus or light rail and is limited to 24 hours.

References

External links

*
Tyvola station site plan
from CATS
Tyvola Station

Grover Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Charlotte Area Transit System railway stations, Blue=y Tyvola Railway stations in the United States opened in 2007 2007 establishments in North Carolina