Monday, March 24, 2014

Another N.C. city eyes a downtown streetcar

It's not just Charlotte wanting a streetcar. Winston-Salem's city council is looking seriously at planning a streetcar to run from its downtown to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The proposed route would pass the city's baseball park, also known as BB&T Ballpark, as well as the convention center and Winston-Salem State University, and it would go near Salem Academy and College. The council is to vote today (March 24) on whether to adopt that route.

How to pay for it? The city is looking a a menu of potential federal sources, including Small Starts and TIGER grants and TIFIA loans. (Transit fans will know what those are). The article does not mention any potential local source of funds, and it notes that city council member Dan Besse said the state government these days offers little political support for rail systems.

Read more, and see a map, at this link.