Fort Worth looks to finalize streetcar plans

Plans to bring in consultant

Vilas Bhuchar, Feb 08, 10.

The city of Fort Worth plans to move forward with bringing in a nationally recognized consultant to help finalize plans for a modern streetcar system that would consist of an initial downtown loop as early as 2014, according to The Daily Skiff.

The Texas Christian University (TCU) paper, which is based in Fort Worth, also notes that the system could potentially connect to its university campus in the future.

With the project receiving $2 million in initial funding, the story notes that David Gaspers, a senior planner in the city’s planning and development department, said the consultant would be brought in to take a closer look at currently proposed plans:

Gaspers said the consultant would examine the possible economic development activity prompted by the streetcar system and devise a business and financial plan that would benefit Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, Tarrant County as a whole and anyone else involved with the future development of the modern streetcar system.

The city wants to gain the best information possible from the consultant to make the best decisions for the proposed project, Gaspers said.

The main goal as of now is to finalize the starter route completion plans with the consultant and to obtain $55 million in funding for the final proposed starter route project through federal funding and grants, Gaspers said.

Finally, according to the story, Joel Burns, Fort Worth council member and District 9 representative, sees lots of value in the planned system:

...the modern streetcars would help reduce roadway usage and improve air quality for the city while creating huge potential for economic development within the surrounding areas of the streetcar route. He said he also envisioned the modern streetcars connecting to the university campus in the future but after connections to less affluent neighborhoods in north and east Fort Worth were established.

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(Photo credit: RACTOD)