Potential streetcar projects moved down the line Tuesday, as St. Paul identified an E. and W. 7th Street route as the first it might build and Minneapolis approved ongoing studies for proposed Nicollet Avenue and W. Broadway routes.
A yearlong study by St. Paul concluded that a route through downtown along 7th Street linking the West End with the East Side would be the best initial line in terms of ridership, development potential and cost.
Estimated price: $246 million. The next step, city planner Michelle Beaulieu said, is to see what the public thinks about the idea.
St. Paul commissioned the $250,000 study, conducted by Nelson/Nygaard Consulting of San Francisco, to analyze how streetcars might work with light-rail and bus lines to improve transit across the city. Mayor Chris Coleman is very interested in exploring the potential of streetcars, as are some City Council members.
The study first identified 17 potential streetcar corridors, many of them used by the old metro streetcar system that was replaced by buses in the 1950s. In August, that list was narrowed to seven lines: E. 7th Street, Grand Avenue, Payne Avenue, Rice Street, Robert Street, Selby/Snelling Avenues and W. 7th Street.
In the study's final phase, released this week, an E. 7th/W. 7th combined line was found to have the most potential riders, promised to draw the most development (along with Robert Street), and compared well in terms of cost.
The study determined that the 4.1-mile stretch from Randolph to Arcade would cost $246 million to build and $8 million annually to operate, draw 3,100 riders daily and tap $134 million in development potential. Lines on Rice and Robert Streets were chosen as the best lines to complete a starter streetcar network.
To qualify for up to $75 million in federal funding under the Federal Transit Administration's Small Starts grant program, the line's expected cost must be no more than $250 million.
