Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/streetcar/)
OCTA officials ended discussion in June of a Harbor Boulevard streetcar after cities couldn’t agree on the project. Meanwhile, an existing streetcar plan to connect Santa Ana and Garden Grove will cost far more than originally expected.
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) plans for the future could give public transportation in the county’s north and central areas a boost, including the possibility of two streetcar routes along north Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue.
A new report by the Orange County Transportation Authority predicts the county’s bus system will be financially unsustainable within two decades. This sobering forecast brings to the fore conflicting opinions on the viability of buses as a countywide transit alternative.
The proposed Santa Ana streetcar, which would run through one of the densest urban cores in the country, is reportedly a better candidate than Anaheim for federal money under a highly competitive grant program.
Federal Transit Authority officials have indicated that the nearly $320-million project is not likely to receive federal funding, which would be a potentially major blow.
The Santa Ana City Council chose the street as its preferred route, despite a signed letter of opposition from businesses along the iconic Latino shopping corridor.
The City Council Tuesday approved pursing the $319-million streetcar project despite reservations expressed by Mayor Tom Tait about possible general fund costs.
Mayor says $700-million elevated train system, still officially part of the city’s long-term transportation plan, would be “way too expensive.”
A group of young Santa Ana residents gathered outside El Centro Cultural de Mexico Saturday to explore their artistic talents.