Supporters of a streetcar for downtown Los Angeles now estimate the construction cost at $259 million, about double their original estimate, as details of the planned route have emerged.
Project backers hope federal funding, including a federal "Small Starts" grant, will make up some of the fiscal package for the route, a 3.8-mile run linking LA's Civic Center with the South Park neighborhood.
San Francisco-based URS Corp. is the project manager overseeing the current effort, which to date does not include any direct involvement from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), which oversees light rail, subway, and Metrolink regional rail service, the latter extending far beyond Los Angeles County.
Downtown LA residents voted in 2012 to approve a streetcar plan that includes establishing a local property tax district to help fund the project.
At a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, analysis by Los Angeles-based AECOM stated that a streetcar could generate $1.6 billion in downtown real estate development.