California Gov. Jerry Brown has included OC Streetcar (Orange County, California) on a list of 10 high-priority infrastructure projects that the federal government should consider for expedited permitting.
The modern electric tram system was included in a letter from the state to the federal Council on Environmental Quality. In it, the governor urges that the OC Streetcar and 9 other projects from across the state be designated as a high priority for California.
The letter was sent in response to an executive order issued by President Trump’s Administration expediting environmental reviews and approval for high-priority infrastructure projects.
Earlier this month, two major Orange County transport improvement projects – the OC Streetcar and the I-405 Improvement project – were included on a priority list that the Governor’s office says should be considered in the development of a federal infrastructure funding package.
The OC Streetcar project will be Orange County’s first modern electric tramway and will run on a 6.7 km route from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, up Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the Pacific Electric right-of-way to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove.
The USD 298 million project is being developed in close coordination with the Federal Transit Administration and entered the engineering phase January – the last major planning phase before construction begins in 2018.
The OC Streetcar project needs a federal permit to complete a bridge over the Santa Ana River. The project’s inclusion as a high priority for California could help expedite the review of permits.
The system is expected to carry up to 7,500 daily passengers and is scheduled to begin operations in 2020.
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