Politics & Government

Speak Out: Determining the Future of D.C.'s Streetcar System

The first (new) DC Streetcar line is scheduled to begin operating in approximately one year's time.

As contractors work to restore the non-operational, historic streetcar tracks on O and P Streets in Georgetown, D.C. is preparing to bring streetcars back online in the next year, starting with the H Street/Benning Road line. Council member Mary Cheh held a performance oversight hearing on District Department of Transportation's (DDOT) management of the D.C. streetcar system Thursday, Feb. 23.

Cheh called the hearing, according to a notice from her office, to examine the longer-term goals for city-wide expansion and how to fund the system:

"The system is still, however, without a long-term financing and governance plan. The full Streetcar System Plan calls for a 37-mile system running throughout the District’s 8 wards. The total cost is projected in excess of $1.5 billion."

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After the meeting, Cheh told the Washington Post, “I think we have to act right away to put into a place a governance scheme and financing scheme." She added, “We can’t just keep ad-hoc-ing our way through it.”

In a recent post on his Greater Greater Washington blog, David Alpert opined that streetcars should be seen as an "economic development tool with transportation benefits." Expanding the streetcar system to other areas of D.C. should depend on the need for economic development and the willingness of the community to support a line by paying dividends when economic benefits arrive.

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According to Alpert, Council member Cheh has pushed for the DDOT and the Office of Planning to consider a Wisconsin Avenue line. But, Alpert considers that a wrong-headed move:

"Ward 3 just isn't a place that needs the economic development of a streetcar. Cheh would best serve DC by supporting a streetcar in the neighborhoods which need growth and pushing for other transit improvements in her neighborhoods which need mobility instead," writes Alpert.

Ken Archer, a Georgetown resident and GGW contributor, has frequently advocated for a streetcar line that runs to Georgetown University.

"The District should offer to extend the H Street/Benning Road streetcar line onto GU's campus," wrote Archer in a September 2011 post on GGW.

He reasons that providing a direct line to one of the city's biggest employers would help with accessibility for residents and job-seekers from elsewhere in the city alike.

Alpert, however, argues that what Georgetown and Wisconsin Avenue need is a better system for buses.

What do you think? Where should the streetcar system extend to in D.C.? Do you want to see streetcars in Georgetown? Speak Out In The Comments.


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