While we await word on whether or not King County Metro will cut bus service here in Fremont, there is news about a proposed streetcar service in the works that would come through the neighborhood.
The city’s new Transit Master Plan picks four transit corridors as ripe for investment in streetcars or bus rapid transit (like Metro’s new Rapid Ride Line). A streetcar line from Loyal Heights to downtown, via Ballard and Fremont, would best serve a high demand for transit in that corridor, according to the report.
According to the plan, a Ballard streetcar line would cost about $327 million to build, including a new rail bridge across the ship canal (which would cost about $70 million) and a retrofitting of the Fremont Bridge (which would cost $10 to $12 million).
Based on the map, it looks like the proposed rail line would run up and down 36th Street en route to Ballard in one direction and South Lake Union in the other.
Of course, don’t get too excited, it’ll take a while to get this up and running. The entire plan is set-up to unfold over the next 20 years.
You can check out much more details on the plan via this PDF link. A draft of the full report will be presented in September.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Jim B // Jul 27, 2011 at 2:39 pm
According to the PDF, the cost estimate assumes the Fremont Bridge retrofit, not the new rail bridge.
It’s so sad that the city lacked foresight and tore/covered up the streetcar infrastructure that it had so many years ago.
2 talisker // Jul 28, 2011 at 6:56 am
The city took on a huge pile of debt when they bought the streetcar lines from the private company that owned them and couldn’t afford to keep them going. It was also more cost efficient for them to convert the system to the trackless trolleys that we still use today.
3 VinceInSeattle // Jul 28, 2011 at 10:54 am
I suppose it would be churlish to point out that the map looks identical to the Monorail map.
4 ryan // Jul 28, 2011 at 2:50 pm
so, there’s not enough money to keep the metro system running in it’s current capacity, but there is $327 million burning a hole in the pocket of the city for this project?
5 Joshua // Jul 28, 2011 at 3:55 pm
YES PLEASE!!! Let’s build them! I will use it all the time to commute to downtown Seattle from Fremont or even go to Ballard too!
6 Geoff // Jul 28, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I hate this city. We vote down grade separated rapid transit, but we want to build slow street cars that share the roads with cars AND buses?
Does this make sense to anyone with a brain?
7 fusspot // Jul 30, 2011 at 1:29 am
Really, could transportation planning in this city get any more screwed up? Egad.
8 GregP // Aug 1, 2011 at 4:53 pm
This is crazy. Metro developed plans for a bus trolley system that serves virtually the entire city, for only $142 million. The only catch? No tracks.
http://crosscut.com/2009/03/18/transportation/18902/Good-transit-plan-gone-missing/
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