Ft. Worth kills streetcar project

Blocks $25 million fed grant

David Crossley, Dec 13, 10.

Ft. Worth’s discussion and study of the viability of a modern streetcar system for the central city is over for now, according to a story in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.

The City Council voted 5-3 on Tuesday to pull the plug on a feasibility study of running a streetcar line to the near north side through downtown and the near south side.

Mayor Mike Moncrief joined council members Carter Burdette, Jungus Jordan, Danny Scarth and Zim Zimmerman in voting against continuing to the final phase of the three-part study. Council members Joel Burns, Sal Espino and Frank Moss voted to proceed.

District 8 Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks was in Europe on city business, said Will Trevino, her assistant.

“This has been a real struggle for me,” Moncrief said. “The bottom line is, many of us are still wrestling with concerns over funding.”

A vote to proceed with the study would have paved the way for the city to accept a $25 million federal grant, which was expected to jump-start the estimated $88 million project.

A consultant, HDR Engineering, reported that streetcars were viable for the center city.

The line, according to city plans, would have consisted of three cars traversing a six-mile round-trip. It would have operated 14 hours a day, 365 days a year and carry an estimated 2,000 people a day.

The total cost of construction would have been offset by the federal grant. The rest would have been covered by the Trinity River Vision and Southside tax increment financing districts, or TIFs.