Atlanta, Cincinnati ask for TIGER streetcar grants

Atlanta is making another bid for federal TIGER funds to build a streetcar line. Having failed last February to win $298 million in federal stimulus funds for a 9.7-mile streetcar system, the City and the Georgia Transit Connector initiative asked this August for $52 million for a line considerably shorter: 2.6 miles. The City and the downtown development district would chip in $10 million each toward the $72 million cost.

Yonah Freemark reported Aug. 23 on The Transport Politic blog that the project is being pitched as one that would encourage transit-oriented development around Georgia State University and Sweet Auburn, a historic African-American neighborhood. The eventual goal of the streetcar is to complement existing MARTA rail service by providing quick, comfortable trips between various MARTA stations and in some cases take passengers to their homes, offices, or other destinations.

Cities across the country are competing for $600 million in TIGER II grants. Awards will be announced on or after Sept. 15.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati is also pursuing TIGER funding for a streetcar line. The blog UrbanCincy reports that a route has been chosen for the Cincinnati Streetcar, which is planned to connect downtown to uptown neighborhoods. The Vine Street route, shown in map, will save $20 million in capital costs compared to the alternative, the city says.

"To date, the city has secured $114.5 million out of the total $128 million to build the entire first phase running from Cincinnati’s central riverfront to its uptown neighborhoods. The modern streetcar system will be the first of its kind in the Midwest and one of only three like systems in the United States. The first construction is expected to begin fall 2010 with the first passengers riding in early 2013," UrbanCincy reports.

The city is planning changes in zoning along the line to accommodate transit-oriented development, the city's website notes.