Image courtesy of looptrolley.org
Plans were unveiled last night at the Loop Trolley Community Meeting in University City that included construction for a new trolley transportation system in the Delmar Loop starting as early as this year and the system up and running as early as 2013.
The planned route would take riders from University City, City Hall, down the Delmar Loop, and south on Debaliviere Avenue to the History Museum in Forest Park every 20 minutes with 10 station stops at the following locations: The Missouri History Museum, Forest Park Metro, Crossroads College Preparatory School, DeBaliviere, Laurel and Delmar, Delmar MetroLink Station, the Pageant, Limit Avenue, Leland Avenue, and Sgt. Mike King Drive.
The construction plans were estimated to cost around $43 million, mostly funded by federal money and private donations.
One major objection has been the potential traffic caused by the streetcars sharing lanes with other vehicles.
Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact" after completing an environmental re-evaluation study, which means the FTA found that the project, including the overhead contact system needed to accommodate wire-driven cars, would not result in any significant impact to the quality of the human environment.
The project's engineering and construction phase has received support from Great Rivers Greenway, University City, the City of St. Louis, the Missouri Historical Society, and The Loop Business District.
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