Gray: Streetcars are a 'Very Wise Decision'

While breaking ground on the rehabilitation of O and P Streets in Georgetown Thursday, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray noted the irony of the project to restore the historic tracks that have been unused since 1962.

The District is, after all, bringing streetcars back to other areas of the City, he said, calling it a "very wise decision." It was a natural moment for the comment, which, uttered by another, would have been a throwaway statement.

But, almost a year ago, while serving as Chairman of the District Council, Gray voted to cut $47 million in funding for the D.C. streetcar program to help close a $550 million budget gap. In a release at that time Gray said, "We can't afford the Mayor's approach of 'build now and plan later', which only results in poor outcomes."

It was one of soon-to-be-many swipes at former Mayor Adrian Fenty. Gray and the Council later voted to restore funding to the streetcars. Gray backtracked, saying he never meant to kill the program. Read more here. 

More recently, Gray's transition officials took an opportunity to comment on the previous administration's efforts through the District Department of Transportation. The transition report authors wrote, "...DDOT’s management has skirted accountability and mismanaged the transportation capital program, violating District law. DDOT has undertaken high-profile projects without adequate planning or funding..."

According to the report, one of the prime examples of DDOT mismanagement is the streetcar program. The authors recommend that Gray's administration "confirm the financial viability of mega-projects (e.g., trolleys; S. Capitol Street Bridge) and set priorities."

Yet Thursday, Gray stood in Georgetown speaking of the importance of the streetcar and what it will mean in terms of revenue and investment in areas the transportation would service. He spoke highly of a trip he took to Portland, OR to see the streetcar system there and highlighted how it "stimulated economic development."

Former DDOT Director Gabe Klein frequently referenced the same trip to Portland and the same benefits when discussing his agency's streetcar plans - the same ones maligned by Gray's transition team reports. As recently as last week, Gray offered up the streetcar as an example of how the District could work with Montgomery and Prince George's Counties to connect the jurisdictions through transportation systems.

The District Streetcar program currently has two sections under construction: the H Street/Benning Road line and the Anacostia Initial line. The first two lines are part of a planned 37-mile system. So far the District has approved $47 million in funding in the current FY 2011 budget. One of the criticisms raised by streetcar opponents and sceptics is the uncertainty of total cost of a District-wide system.

DDOT's website claims the streetcars will complement the existing transit options and connect neighborhoods in a way the metro does not, while providing economic benefits through increased development along streetcar lines. A 2008 Portland, OR study suggested states"$3.5 billion has been invested within two blocks of the streetcar alignment." That's a number proponents frequently reference when advocating for a D.C. system.

Gray has yet to announce a replacement for former DDOT Director Gabe Klein, though construction and community meetings continue on the existing lines, whether that's wise or not.