Officials' vote narrowly saves Fort Lauderdale streetcar project
The commissioners agreed to allow the state to seek new construction proposals for the $195.3 million project, if Fort Lauderdale’s city commission and its Downtown Development Authority renew their commitments to the project.
A rendering of the project via HDR.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Despite concerns over growing costs, Broward County commissioners voted five to four in favor of not killing Fort Lauderdale’s proposed Wave streetcar project, the SunSentinel reported.
The commissioners agreed to allow the state to seek new construction proposals for the $195.3 million project, if Fort Lauderdale’s city commission and its Downtown Development Authority renew their commitments to the project.
After proposals received in November escalated the cost of the project to $270 million, the state made changes that would reduce the size of the project’s vehicle maintenance facility and scaled back the amount of upgrades needed for the Southeast Third Avenue Bridge that will carry the streetcars over the New River to cut costs.
Broward County is pressuring Fort Lauderdale to renew its commitment to the project in the next couple of weeks, before a new commission is seated following the March elections. For the full story, click here.
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