Budget Blown For Streetcar Project

Proposed Streetcars running along Capitol Mall

This is a dream the city has been working on for two decades, but the dollar amount the city had anticipated to build street cars in Sacramento were far from reality after the bids came in. The SacBee has reported that the lowest bid was $184 million by Teichert Construction, which was $76 million more than the city budgeted for. City leaders appeared to be shocked by the setback. Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen said “a dramatic setback for the project” and “The team has to step back and rethink this. As it’s currently conceived, the project cannot go forward”. Two other bids came in at $190 million and $206 million.

The West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said “It is premature to characterize this as the death of the project,” he said, “but this is the most significant challenge we have faced from day one.” The SacBee also reports that Congress several years ago committed to fund up to half of the project, but the Federal Transit Administration has not yet agreed to sign a grant agreement, noting last year that Sacramento had not taken necessary steps, such as finalizing construction contracts. Local leaders had hoped that signing a construction contract would put them in position to finally obtain federal matching funds for the project.

Every year this project does not start construction the cost to build rises. The line would operate on rails in streets for 4.4 miles between West Sacramento and downtown Sacramento, crossing the Tower Bridge. At this moment, it will cost $41,818,181 million per mile.

Wanna hear something funny? Three years ago, after receiving $30 million in State funding for the project Steve Hansen said “After 20 years of working on this, that’s the final piece of money we need to go build it”.

Streetcar Planning Study Complete

The City of Sacramento has compleated their initial study to support the reintronuction of streetcars to identify the logical first line. For nearly two decades, the concept of implementing a streetcar line in the core of the Sacramento region has surfaced in multiple plans and studies including the Downtown Sacramento Historic Trolley Study (1994), the SACOG Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035 (2008), the City of Sacramento and West Sacramento General Plans, and the Sacramento Regional Transit Long Range Plan (2009). Since May 2006, the City of Sacramento has worked in partnership with the City of West Sacramento, the Sacramento Regional Transit District and the Yolo County Transportation District to develop a streetcar project that will connect Downtown Sacramento (Downtown Riverfront Streetcar line) to West Sacramento.

As you can see by this starter line map, plans to run the Streetcars down Capitol Mall have been revised to instead go up 3rd Street and then east on H & I Streets by the proposed arena in the Railyards. I really liked the idea of Streetcars down Capitol Mall but I can only guess that it would not have created the same revenue as other more populated areas.

The estimated total project cost for the starter line is $125-135 million. This cost includes track installation, stop improvements including sidewalk improvements where needed, the conversion of Third Street to two-way operation from Capitol Mall to L Street, train signaling and power systems, streetcar vehicles, a storage/light maintenance facility, professional services (i.e., engineering design), and a project reserve. The annual operating and maintenance cost for the proposed starter line is estimated at $4 million, In 2008 the City of West Sacramento passed Measure K, which is a sales tax measure that includes revenues estimated at $1.2m per year for operation and maintenance of the Downtown/Riverfront Streetcar.

Next Steps

The balance of the project cost would be provided by a combination of state, regional, and local funds. It is recommended that the partnership of City of West Sacramento, RT, and YCTD to pursue a federal Small Starts 5309 grant for the starter line.  The partnership would work collaboratively to pursue state and regional funds. The balance of the remaining funding needed, after any revenues generated from state or regional sources, would be provided by the two cities based on their fair share of the project costs.

It is also recommended that the City of Sacramento work in partnership with the City of West Sacramento, RT, and the Yolo County Transportation District (YCTD) to determine a fare and sponsorship strategy for the starter line. The approach to fares could involve one fixed fare (i.e., $2 is a typical one-way trip cost for other streetcar lines with a fixed fare), a distance-based fare, or a “fare free zone” in the core with fares for longer distance trips originating outside the zone (i.e., similar to the City of Portland’s fare structure).

Once the funding is in place, and environmental studies and design plans are completed, construction of the Starter Line is anticipated to take 18 months.

If this project does get funded, I vote that the city use vintage streetcars. They have a certian amount of charm that the modern streetcars don't have. Watching these old streetcars pass by is always a time-warp. They're colorful, elegant, and very functional, which is why they would be one of my favorite additions to the fabric of the city.

Streetcar Planning Study

On Tuesday the 8th, the Sacramento City Council will adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a professional service agreement with Fehr & Peers to perform a Streetcar Planning Study for an amount not to exceed $310,000. The study would evaluate the feasibility of alternative streetcar routes throughout strategic locations in the City, compare alignments for maximum economic, environmental and mobility benefits, and develop a priority list for funding and implementation.

Since May 2006, the City of Sacramento has worked in partnership with the City of West Sacramento, Regional Transit (RT) and the Yolo County Transportation District (YCTD) to develop a streetcar project that will connect Downtown West Sacramento with Downtown Sacramento (Downtown Riverfront Streetcar line). Over the past several years, guided by a Policy Steering Committee (PSC) and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), the initial phase of this streetcar project was designed. The first phase of this project will begin at the West Sacramento City Hall and end at the Tower Bridge. As part of this Streetcar Planning Study and working with these partners, theCity of Sacramento will complete the planning work and determine the alignment for the Sacramento phase of this project.

Streetcar Planning Study

As part of the 2010 federal and state programming, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) awarded a grant in the amount of $310,000 in federal funds to the City of Sacramento for a Streetcar Planning Study. The City of Sacramento applied for these funds in order to perform a planning study that would evaluate the feasibility of alternative streetcar routes throughout strategic locations in the City, compare alignments for maximum economic, environmental and mobility benefits, and develop a priority list for funding and implementation.

This Tuesday the City Council will accept and appropriate funds necessary to begin the planning work. This funding may only be used for the proposed Streetcar Planning Study. The Sacramento Streetcar Planning Study Project  (T15115800) is funded with $310,000 of federal funds (Fund 3703) and $90,000 in local funds (Fund 2001) to be transferred from the Major Streets Improvement project (T15108000) into the Sacramento Streetcar Planning Study Project (T15115800). No general funds are planned or allocated for this project.

The Streetcar Planning Study will evaluate a wide range of potential streetcar options. The City of Sacramento 2030 General Plan focuses on higher density land uses in commercial corridors near job centers. Having a variety of transportation choices which include streetcars promotes accessible alternatives to the automobile and supports the City's economic, land use and transportation goals.