Could not agree more, this is a wonderful idea and one hopes it indicates a collaboration that will not only continue, but inspire others.
Editorials: Trolleys that bind
A streetcar can unite two sides of river
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, May 12, 2007
If the governments can actually pull this off, a streetcar between the capital city and West Sacramento would be one of the cleverest and most cost-effective public works projects in the region. The regular political playbook for building a transit project -- wait for the federal government to underwrite the project -- would be tossed out the window. Instead, local governments would search for funding sources, perhaps from nearby development, to help pay for a trolley that aims to be high on impact and low in cost. Can it be done? There is reason to hope.
This project would take a remarkable level of cooperation among local governments on both sides of the Sacramento River. So far, so good. The necessary players include Regional Transit in Sacramento County, the Yolo County Transportation District, the West Sacramento City Council and the Sacramento City Council.
The region's leading transportation planning agency, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, provided some necessary seed monies for a study to get the idea off the ground. That feasibility study was recently released.
The instructions for the consultants were clear: This isn't to be a gold-plated system, but something achievable that can be expanded over time. The consultants came back with a proposal to build a 2.2-mile trolley line. It would start to the west along West Capitol Avenue, cross over Tower Bridge and take advantage of existing light-rail lines in Sacramento until the line reaches the beginning of midtown.
The potential benefits of this project (the goal is a construction cost under $50 million) are huge. For West Sacramento, West Capitol Avenue is one of those corridors that is high on potential, but needs something unique and stabilizing to attract private investment. A streetcar, a permanent new amenity to the corridor, would help link existing businesses and new housing projects within West Sacramento as well as provide a pleasant new mode of transit to get to Sacramento's downtown.
