Funding secured for streetcar line to Oak Cliff
Fri, May 13, 2011In an update to the news of the proposed streetcar that will eventually link to the Bishop Arts District from downtown Dallas, the local paper Oak Cliff People reported on May 6 that the council did indeed vote in favor of requesting $20MM from DART toward the project.
On the Oak Cliff streetcar front, Michael Lindenberger reports the city and its partners have put together $39 million for the project. And the City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to ask Dallas Area Rapid Transit to contribute almost $20 million to the cause.
That money is now set aside for a proposed people-mover system at Love Field and would be dedicated for streetcar operations. A $23 million federal grant has been promised for the project, but the city must show it can operate the system with local money for 30 years before it can tap the grant.
Michael reports the latest plan calls for running one car between Union Station downtown and the Colorado-Beckley intersection near Methodist Hospital. The 1.5-mile, 10-minute trip each way would have three stops including the Colorado-Beckley terminus. The car would leave every 20 minutes during rush hour and every 30 minutes otherwise.
As for extending the line to the Bishop Arts District, it's a matter of money, Keith Manoy, the city's project manager, told Michael.
Project planners hope to have the system running by the end of 2013.