In the first signs of life for the beleaguered transit project in over a year, Seattle officials found some of the money they need to proceed with the Central City Connector streetcar project.
"On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council’s transportation committee will consider a proposal to continue work on the Center City Connector by authorizing $9 million in engineering work," reports Doug Trumm.
If approved, the new funding could be the first positive movement for the streetcar project since Mayor Jenny Durkan halted work on the project in March 2018 dude to budget concerns. The Central City Connector has been a topic of hot debate in the city ever since.
To support the renewal of the the Central City Connector project, the Seattle Department of Transportation has ridership data in the First Hill Streetcar showing a 31 percent increase, and total streetcar rides in the city reached 1.7 million in 2018.
"The Center City Connector would extend the First Hill Streetcar and link to the South Lake Union Streetcar, making one unified line projected to attract about 20,000 daily riders basically as soon as it opens," explains Trumm. "That’s more than the busiest bus in Seattle."
FULL STORY: As Streetcar Ridership Grows, SDOT Requests $9 Million for Connector Work
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A planned streetcar line in Seattle will have its own dedicated lane, but perhaps even more interesting is that the existing South Lake Union Streetcar could also get a lane dedicated to transit. Is Seattle's leadership a way forward for streetcars?
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