When voters in downtown L.A. approved a special taxing district to help fund a new $125 million streetcar line, one small detail was left out of project cost estimates - $166 million in potential utility work. Might this gap kill the project?
"Building a proposed streetcar line in downtown Los Angeles may cost more than twice the original estimate, an adjustment that raises serious questions about the project's funding and future," reports Laura J. Nelson. Utility work and other costs not included in the project's original $125 million estimate have been identified by a recent city report.
"The funding gap of almost $200 million must be resolved before officials apply for federal transportation grants, which could total up to $75 million," she adds. "The applications and the debut of the Broadway streetcar, scheduled for late 2015, will probably both be delayed."
FULL STORY: Broadway streetcar faces $200-million funding gap
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As a special election gets underway to determine whether 10,000 downtown L.A. residents support taxing property owners to build a new streetcar system, the editors of the Los Angeles Downtown News offer their qualified support for the project.
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