Bringing Back the Street Cars
The street car system is estimated to cost $60 million-$90 million
Tim Jewett
Street cars in Los Angeles may resemble those currently running Portland, Oregon.
Everything old is new again. Street cars may soon be traveling the streets of downtown Los Angeles if a proposal by Los Angeles Street Car Inc is approved.
LASI's proposal calls for a street car system that wouldrun through the downtown core connecting locations including the Staples Center and Downtown Live to Disney Concert Hall and the Historic district. The cars would be similar to ones in use in Portland and Seattle.
LASI will be running a public awareness campaign to promote the idea in the coming weeks.
In 2001 the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to perform a study on the feasibility of creating a modern streetcar in downtown Los Angeles. The study also focused on how such a system would encourage growth and redevelopment. It was finalized in July, 2006.
LASI was formed shortly after in conjunction with Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar's "Bringing Back Broadway" initiative. The non-profit organization is a public private partnership modeled after a similar group in Portland, Oregon who helped develop that city's street car.
According to Dennis Allen, Executive Director of LASI, the next step will be an environmental impact study that will investigate potential traffic issues, local impact, and encumbrances.
The street car system is estimated to cost $60 million-$90 million and would be paid for via a private-public partnership.
