Streetcar Project Gets in Gear

A little more than a year ago, the FTA awarded Arizona's Tucson Modern Streetcar project a $63 million TIGER Grant — this signaled a major turning point for the project. Currently, the project is nearing completion of final design, with utility relocation under way and construction projected to begin in mid-to-late 2011.

Funding

The $196 million streetcar project is part of the $2.1 billion Regional Transportation Plan, approved by Pima County voters in May 2006. The project is funded by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) as well as federal and other regional funds. The City of Tucson and the RTA are co-managing the project.

"The Tucson Modern Streetcar project was able to secure local funding early in the project as part of the RTA vote in May 2006," says Project Manager Shellie Ginn. "However, the project also required federal funding and, in order to secure this funding, the project had to navigate through several federal programs."

The project initially started as a Small Starts project, she adds, then became a New Starts "Exempt" project but, ultimately the majority of the federal share was funded through the $63 million TIGER grant award (See sidebar for funding breakdown).

"Fixed-guideway projects such as the Tucson Modern Streetcar are inherently complex. Funding was a major challenge, as most fixed-guideway rail projects require some level of federal funding," Ginn says when asked what hurdles were faced by this project.  

The FTA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the streetcar project at the end of January 2010, giving the green light to begin construction and access $63 million in federal grant money.

Route

Tucson's 3.9-mile streetcar route connects major activity centers: The University of Arizona, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Main Gate Square, 4th Avenue Business District, Congress Shopping and Entertainment District, Downtown Tucson and the Downtown redevelopment area west of I-10, including the Mercado District.

The vehicles will stop at 17 points along the route, with service frequency running from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily. The streetcar is expected to reach a stop every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes during the evening.

Vehicles

United Streetcar, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works Inc., which is manufacturing the first Buy America-compliant streetcar in the U.S. since 1952, is building the streetcars for the project. The company is currently fabricating six streetcars for the City of Portland's East Side Loop Extension and seven streetcars for the City of Tucson's streetcar project. Tucson's modern streetcar vehicles will be part of the first order of vehicles manufactured in the U.S. in nearly 60 years.

The United Streetcar 200 is the model being manufactured for this project. This particular version is specifically built for cities with hot climates, by increasing cooling capacity, improving air distribution and installing a more efficient HVAC system, according to the company's website.

"This fixed-guideway electric rail system will have seven, all-electric ADA-compliant vehicles in operation, sharing a travel lane with other vehicles and will be compatible with street parking," Ginn says.

The streetcars also will accommodate bicycles and have easy roll-on access for wheelchairs and strollers. Stop platforms will be designed so that they can be used by buses as well as streetcars, where possible.

With regard to the fare collection system, Ginn says, "the goal is to have a seamless, integrated fare system with our current public regional bus system, Sun Tran. Ultimately, the public transit system will have one easy-to-use, card swipe fare system."

Opening year ridership for the Modern Street is forecast at 3,600 average daily boardings.

Once operational, the streetcar service will operate in mixed traffic and, as such, will function the same as any other vehicle on the roadway, according to Ginn. "New traffic signals will be added at some intersections to facilitate traffic control between all modes, and detailed signage and pavement markings will be added," she says. "The Tucson Modern Streetcar project has been designed to be as context sensitive as possible, and detailed consideration has been given to the interaction with other modes, including pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles."

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Community options

In addition to automobile traffic, walking, bicycling and taking the bus are current transportation options in the area that the modern streetcar project is seeking to complement and enhance, Ginn says. The area is currently serviced by Sun Tran, an extensive fixed-route bus system. The University of Arizona campus area is currently served by Cat Tran. The streetcar project will allow Cat Tran and Sun Tran to be reconfigured, improving service and reliability within the corridor.

The streetcar project is part of the RTA plan that includes added bike lanes and paths, new sidewalks and greenways. There is an extensive on-street bike lane network that covers the area.

"The streetcar project team is working to ensure that bicycling remains a strong part of the transportation options for the area," Ginn says. "[We are] working to ensure that there is a safe pedestrian environment along the corridor."

Challenges

Because the area serviced by the streetcar is in the urban core of the Tucson region, it has congestion, and a major freight rail line crosses the area. Additionally, the University of Arizona, 4th Avenue and downtown areas generate high pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

"Changing people's behavior and mindset remains a constant challenge. The more than 100,000 people within the streetcar project corridor should find the streetcar to be a reliable, convenient and affordable way to connect to work; retail; healthcare and entertainment venues," Ginn says. "The streetcar also offers riders connections to regional transit options - in the county, Oro Valley, Marana and beyond."

The project is also spurring new development that will help increase ridership. Visitors coming to the area should find the streetcar to be a convenient way to connect to events, restaurants, shopping and attractions, she adds.

"The success of the METRO light rail project in Phoenix demonstrates that a car-centric mindset can be changed with high-quality transit service," Ginn says.        

Ginn also cites Phoenix's Metro light rail project as having provided the Tucson team valuable insight into a successful rail project and public marketing campaign. 

"Currently, we are developing a marketing plan specific to the streetcar that will incorporate elements from their project," Ginn says.

Project benefits

The Tucson Modern Streetcar project is expected to benefit the region in numerous ways. Specifically, it will trigger new jobs, spur economic growth and encourage transit-oriented development in many ways, including:

• Jobs related to project design and construction. The City of Tucson projects that 1,200 new jobs will be created as a direct result of project construction and an additional 1,650 related jobs in over 19 industries will be created as a result of construction activities.
• Long-term jobs created. Research projects an estimated 1,480 long-term regional jobs created as a result of the streetcar.
• Increasing property values. More people living and working along the route means increasing value of existing properties along the alignment. Research projects an increase in area property values near transit lines of 2 percent to more than 30 percent.
• Green thumbprint. The all-electric streetcar will help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. One vehicle holds approximately 130 people. The community will minimize or maintain its level of parking facilities, thus preserving land for open space or other projects.

Transit service will also be at a higher frequency, provide greater transfer opportunities, and will be more predictable and reliable. "These are all critical service factors for generating and maintaining ridership," Ginn says.     

Student connection

Another standout benefit of the project will be the connectivity with the University of Arizona.

"One of the advantages is that, as a land locked university, the University of Arizona is seeking new ways to expand its borders, whether through classroom space downtown or forming a public-private partnership for much-needed student housing along the streetcar route," Ginn says.  

The route also adds opportunities for the university community to access entertainment, dining and other activities that they may otherwise not do because of transportation issues, she adds. The university predicts growth all along the line as businesses have direct access to both downtown and the campus. While many universities rely on parking fees to generate much-needed revenue, the university doesn't foresee a negative effect on parking sales, Ginn says. "If anything, they could see an increase, as people may park at the university end and use the streetcar to go downtown. The University of Arizona will, however, carefully monitor how things are going as we plan for the future."