[ back ]
Loop transit
(by Kelly Moffitt - June 24, 2009)
Despite troubles in the economy, plans for a streetcar along Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue are moving forward.
The Loop Trolley Company and East-West Gateway Council of Governments will host an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. July 8 at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd., to discuss preferred alternatives for route alignment with the community.
“Public opinion could have a big influence on the alignment chosen for the trolley,” said Terry Freeland, manager of the Transportation Corridor Improvement Group for East-West Gateway.
The design and engineering is being laid out by St. Louis engineering firm CH2M HILL, which is currently investigating route alignment, power sources, bridges and vehicles for use with the trolley. The firm also determined the that fare to keep the trolley running would be about the same as for MetroBus or MetroLink.
Currently, the trolley is proposed to share lanes with traffic in a double-track system that would allow trolleys to go two directions and prevent congestion as trolleys traveling opposite directions on Delmar from Trinity Avenue to DeBaliviere share a track.
Public opinion may help determine whether or not there should be a double track along DeBaliviere and if there should be a designated side of the road for the trolley.
“Right now we are looking at running the trolley on the east side of DeBaliviere to coordinate with a bike path project Great Rivers Greenway is looking at implementing,” Freeland said. “Also, we are not sure about using a double track here: it would be cheaper to do a single track with later opportunity for a double track.”
The Advisory Board for the Loop Trolley will meet on June 24 to decide what they will present as the preferred alternative to the public at the July 8 open house.
After the June 24 meeting, CH2M HILL will continue to work too meet a November 2009 deadline to present a funding proposal to Congress.
“By the end of fall, the design and engineering should be at the 30 percent level, which is a lot further than it sounds,” said Joe Edwards, president of Loop Trolley Company. “It will summarize everything, conclude where the track should be laid out, where the power will come from, where the turnarounds would be. A lot of questions will be answered in a specific way. It will be time to go back to Congress.”
Edwards said he hopes the price tag on the project will be less than the $50 million predicted by the feasibility study done for the proposed line in 2000.
Because the planning stage had already been fully funded, the economy has not had much effect on the project. However, once the 30 percent stage has passed and the proposal has been made to Congress, funds may become harder to obtain.
“Funding is what really stands in the way of this coming to fruition,” said Tom Shrout, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “If we go to Congress for funding, there are a bunch of other cities who want this. The new transportation bill could be more receptive to streetcar and light rail projects than before, but that remains to be seen.”
The Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009 is a proposed $450 billion act that would promote implementation of alternative forms of transportation.
However, current legislation does not look upon streetcar projects kindly and if the new transportation act is not passed, it would make obtaining federal funding for the trolley much harder.
Though the trolley would have to compete with other cities for federal funding, it would not have to compete with other transit in St. Louis. Though Metro reduced services because of cut funding in March, the trolley would be seeking federal funding from a different niche.
Even if federal funding did come through, Freeland said he believes the rest of the money would have to come from diverse sources. Finding these sources is part of the work of CH2M HILL.
“There is also an advisory committee in place with the Loop trolley looking for private sources of funding,” Freeland said. “There is a possibility that money from the federal stimulus bill could be used for the trolley, and the city of St. Louis is looking into that.”
According to University City Manager Julie Feier, the taxing district in University City for the Loop trolley will remain in place, but it could be hard for the city to offer anything more than vocal support because of the city’s recent budget issues.
St. Louis city Alderman Lyda Krewson, whose 28th ward includes part of the land the trolley would develop, is a strong supporter of the trolley and said she hopes it will still come to fruition despite economic troubles.
“I think it is necessary to fund a form of transportation between the Loop and Forest Park,” Krewson said. “I hope that most people realize that quality of life is more than just highways. Trolleys are revenue generators in urban areas that bring people to attractions and make the experience fun.”
According to Shrout, people are still interested in making the trolley happen and perhaps reintroducing streetcars elsewhere.
“We’ve had downtown interest that has talked to CMT about a downtown trolley [and] interest in doing a trolley along Grand,” Shrout said. “St. Charles County is talking about doing one. All of these are potential places for trolleys to expand. St. Louis is a city that grew up around streetcars.”
Edwards, who has been working on this project since 1997, said he believes that the project is looking more positive than ever before despite the economy and hopes it will be running within two years.
“Tourism, neighborhood stability, economic development are all big draws of this,” Edwards said. “Because of the nature of the fixed tracks, people and developers know that they won’t be changed, so they come in and invest money into the area.”
[ back ]
