Arlington County officials said Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 that the county is canceling its plans for two streetcar projects, bowing to continual opposition and heightened by a recent local election.
The move quickly was criticized by officials in neighboring Fairfax County, which was participating in on the the projects, the $33 million, 7.4-mile Columbia Pike Streetcar. A second adjoining project, the $217 million Crystal City Line, was not as far advanced as its counterpart.
The news, as reported by The Washington Post, undercuts the county's plan to redevelop a congested portion of Arlington County. Opponents had continually argued that improved bus service, and/or Bus Rapid Transit, could handle future needs.
Said Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette, "We believed that a streetcar system would provide the economic stimulation and the placemaking that would keep Arlington competitive for years to come." Noting the recent election of anti-rail candidate John Vihstadt to the Board, Fisette added, "But we cannot ignore the political realities."
Still to be determined is the fate of the $26 million contract Arlington County approved last September with Omaha, Neb.-based HDR Inc.