Atlanta & Cincinnati Streetcars
http://designinghealthycommunities.org/atlanta-getting-new-streetcar-line/
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and local officials have kickedAi??off construction of a new 2.6-mile streetcar line that will run through the heart of Atlantaai??i??s business, tourism, and convention corridor, bringing jobs and new development to the city and reflecting President Obamaai??i??s blueprint for an America thatai??i??s built to last.
http://atlanta.curbed.com/archives/categories/downtown.php
ai???President Obama called on us to rebuild America by putting people back to work on transportation projects that are built to last, like Atlantaai??i??s modern streetcar line,ai??? said Secretary LaHood. ai???All across America, there is work to be done on projects like this.Ai?? Now is the time to connect people who need work with the work we need to do to improve our nationai??i??s transit centers, highways, railways, airports and ports.ai???
Secretary LaHoodai??i??s visit follows President Obamaai??i??s State of the Union address, in which he called for using funds saved from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay down the debt and fund a six-year transportation bill that would clear the way for nation-building here in the United States.
The Atlanta streetcar will traverse an economically distressed area of downtown, serving as a catalyst for millions of dollars in new residential, official, and retail development. It also reconnects the eastern and western sides of the city that have been divided by two interstate highways for half a century. The streetcar will eventually serve about 7,000 people who live within a quarter-mile of the route, as well as more than five million tourists and convention-goers.Ai?? Operated by MARTA (Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority), it will include 12 stops with access to major attractions like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the historic Auburn Avenue corridor, which is the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement. The line will also connect with MARTAai??i??s heavy rail and bus systems and city bicycle routes.
The streetcar project heeds President Obamaai??i??s call for a new era for American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources, and because the streetcar will be powered by electricity, it will produce zero emissions. Throughout construction of the line, the City of Atlanta, MARTA, and all other stakeholders will use sustainable building materials, recycled materials, and renewable energy sources to make the system as ai???greenai??? as possible. And overall, locally expanding transit options will help reduce vehicle miles traveled, which lessens our dependence on oil and reduces emissions.
ai???The Atlanta streetcar project is creating American jobs, using American-made materials,ai??? said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff. ai???Itai??i??s a great reflection of the Presidentai??i??s support for American manufacturing and for giving everyone a fair shot at success by investing in the infrastructure our country needs right now.ai???
Secretary LaHood travelled to Atlanta in October, 2010, to announce $47.6 million for the streetcar project through the Departmentai??i??s second round of TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants. It was the largest of the capital TIGER II grants awarded in 2010. The project is a cooperative effort by the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) and MARTA. The City and ADID funded the balance of the project.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The city of Cincinnati plans to break ground Feb. 17 on the $110 million-plus streetcar, the controversial project that has dominated local political discourse for years and that still faces at least one lingering obstacle that could delay it or raise its cost.
Mayor Mark Mallory, determined to move forward on a project that City Hall hopes will galvanize inner-city redevelopment, announced plans for the groundbreaking during a special City Council meeting Friday at which two council critics of the streetcar reiterated concerns about its expense and other factors.
