July 8, 201014 yr Author New England- Something about $300,000 for buses, I wasn't paying attention. In manchester
July 8, 201014 yr http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100708/NEWS0108/307080048/City-gets-25M-for-streetcar-line Cincinnati gets $25M for streetcar line
July 8, 201014 yr A full, comprehensive listing... http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_11820.html
July 8, 201014 yr Author 1st question for Charlotte- "what criteria where you looking for urban circualtors?" "Ridership, economic development, combined efforts with HUD and EPA, enviromental benefits and providing access to transit dependent and low income housing. Readiness. are they well along away so we can put the money to work right away." "there is a local match but it needent be large"
July 8, 201014 yr Author Curtis Fuller WLWT- "about cincinnati, talk about what you think this will do to urban cores aroudn the country" "the reason why streetcars are making a comeback is people are reasiling it is a great enginge for driving developmetn downtown. drive jobs and retail into the core, get around downtown. connects homes to retail and entertainment opportunites without having to look for parking." follow up "what did you see specifically with cicninnnati plan" "working on it for some time. deputy secretatry went out and said the local community needed to step up local commitment and the city then made a very impressive statement" Lahood- "spoke to mayor, would not be funded wihtou the leadership of city council and the mayor. they showed extrodinary leadership. becaues of the mayor and city council this project is being fundeed because of their leaderhip. these thing jsut don't happen this is a very deliberative processs, we are diong it because of the exterodinary leadership in cincinnanti."
July 8, 201014 yr LaHood said some nice things about Mayor Mallory and the City Council's leadership on this. Hope someone got all of that on tape.
July 8, 201014 yr Author Question "Is this from Stimulus or 2010 appropriations? will there be future rounds" "Comibination of ssources, some left over from 2009 appropriations; some from 2010. Streetcar money is New Start fixed guideway for other projects that never finished. Potnetial for future programs."
July 8, 201014 yr these thing jsut don't happen this is a very deliberative processs, we are diong it because of the exterodinary leadership in cincinnanti." For the first time in my life I think this is a true statement. We do have extraordinary leadership in Cincy right now.
July 8, 201014 yr Cincinnati wins $25M Urban Circulator grant for modern streetcar project By Randy A. Simes, UrbanCincy | July 8, 2010 http://www.urbancincy.com/2010/07/cincinnati-wins-25m-urban-circulator-grant-for-modern-streetcar-project/ Cincinnati’s modern streetcar project has won a $25 million federal grant through the Urban Circulator Systems program. The grant was announced by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff as they awarded $293 million in federal funding for 53 transit projects nationwide. The $24,990,000 amount awarded to Cincinnati virtually matches the city’s full $25 million request, and the $25 million maximum that could be awarded to any one project through this program. The additional money brings the total project funding to $114.5 million out of the total $128 million needed. Project officials and city leaders believe that enough money is now in place to begin initial utility relocation and construction work in fall 2010, with a potential opening of the modern streetcar system in spring 2013. “This announcement illustrates the broad-based support for the streetcar at all levels of government,” said Brad Thomas, Founder, CincyStreetcar.com. “Transportation experts at the city, regional, state and federal level have all examined the Cincinnati Streetcar and have come to the same conclusion – it is a worthwhile project that they support.” The Urban Circulator funding was awarded to bus, streetcar, and trolley projects that help improve circulation within urban environments while also improving livability in those areas. The projects were assessed on four primary elements: 1. Livability 2. Sustainability 3. Economic Development 4. Leveraging of Public & Private Investments “Streetcars are making a comeback because cities across America are recognizing that they can restore economic development downtown – giving citizens the choice to move between home, shopping and entertainment without ever looking for a parking space,” said Rogoff. “These streetcar and bus livability projects will not only create construction jobs now, they will aid our recovery by creating communities that are more prosperous and less congested.” St. Louis, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Chicago, Dallas and Ft. Worth were the six successful Urban Circulator proposals out of more than 65 applications totaling more than $1 billion in requests. Urban Circulator applications in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Seattle were left out, and the 47 successful bus projects included in the funding were among 281 applications totaling over $2 billion in requests. “This federal award will create jobs in Cincinnati, link our largest employment centers and improve the quality of life for Cincinnatians by reducing air pollution and providing new transportation options for Cincinnatians,” Thomas emphasized. “The increased tax revenues from the business and new residents along the line will provide additional resources for our city that can be used to benefit all of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods.”
July 8, 201014 yr This is a great, GREAT day for Cincinnati! Many thanks to Mayor Mallory, his administration, City Council and all of the supporters who've worked so hard on this issue. The dream of a better urban core will soon become reality. The Queen City can now afford to polish some of the jewels in its crown. For those who haven't seen it yet, The Enquirer article is short and perfunctory. Many of the comments following it are, as usual, totally berserk.
July 8, 201014 yr Press release from the city: Cincinnati Awarded $25 Million Federal Grant for Streetcar Project Cincinnati – Mayor Mark Mallory received a call from US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood this morning to announce that Cincinnati has received a $25 million federal Urban Circulator grant for the Streetcar project. The grant brings the total funding committed to the Streetcar project to $114.5 million and will allow the City to begin construction on the project. “This is great news for Cincinnati. Having the federal government come in as a partner on our Streetcar shows that we have one of the best plans in the country,” Mayor Mark Mallory said. “This is why it is important to go out and engage decision makers directly. Secretary LaHood told me that we got this grant because of the leadership that we showed in pursuing this money.” “The support for this project coupled with waterfront development, casino and other development projects proves that Cincinnati is in a growth mode,” said Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney. “We are very pleased about today’s announcement.” The US Department of Transportation announced $293 Million for New Transit Solutions this morning. Over 60 cities applied for funding through the Urban Circulator program. Only four other cities received the maximum streetcar grant: St. Louis, Fort Worth, Charlotte, and Chicago. Total Streetcar Funding: Urban Circulator – $25 million City Funding – $64 million State TRAC grant – $15 million Sale of streetlights to Duke Energy – $6.5 million OKI CMAQ grant – $4 million Total – $114.5 million
July 8, 201014 yr "raised funding for the local streetcar plan above the $110 million mark, more than three-quarters of the amount needed" - http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100708/NEWS0108/307080048/City-gets-25M-for-streetcar-line I love how a project that has $114.5 million of the $128 million secured is in The Enquirer's mind "more than three-quarters" instead of a more accurate 90%. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
July 8, 201014 yr When is construction? "Project officials and city leaders believe that enough money is now in place to begin initial utility relocation and construction work in fall 2010, with a potential opening of the modern streetcar system in spring 2013."
July 8, 201014 yr Is anyone else getting the impression the Enquirer is reading this site heavily? They literally just changed their article to include bfwissel's 90% comment instead of 3 quarters.
July 8, 201014 yr It will be interesting to see the first developments along the line. Hopefully more developers will start to come online.
July 8, 201014 yr This news is incredibly exciting! It's a great day for Cincinnati! I can't wait to come home in the fall and see the project under construction! It's a great day for the city and a great day for the region!
July 8, 201014 yr I find it amazing people still think streetcar is a bad thing. People need to get out and enjoy life more.
July 8, 201014 yr Is anyone else getting the impression the Enquirer is reading this site heavily? They literally just changed their article to include bfwissel's 90% comment instead of 3 quarters. But their math is still wrong. The Enquirer article now says "more than 90 percent." Its actually a hair less than 90 percent.
July 8, 201014 yr Is anyone else getting the impression the Enquirer is reading this site heavily? They literally just changed their article to include bfwissel's 90% comment instead of 3 quarters. But their math is still wrong. The Enquirer article now says "more than 90 percent." Its actually a hair less than 90 percent. I was going to point out their mathematical incompetence (and poor reading comprehension), but since the change put it much closer to reality I decided against it. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
July 8, 201014 yr Congratulations, Cincinnati! A huge victory! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 8, 201014 yr What can we expect for tomorrow (My predictions): From the Enquirer: 1)An editorial questioning the streetcar and federal government in general 2) An abundance of letters condemning the project (small minority in favor) From 700: 1) Eddie and Tracy bashfest (although they will probably invite a member from city council that is in support of it to call in and interview) 2) Sloan will re-affirm his opinion that the streetcar makes sense with all the development going on downtown especially the casino (possibly have a guest but I doubt it) 3) Cunningham will attack it using the usual scare tactics (crime)
July 8, 201014 yr Forget them for now. Just build it, watch it succeed like other streetcar projects have, and then inform the squinty-eyed/light-blinded masses that this is what cities are like in the rest of the world outside of the Enquirer's and AM-700's caves. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 8, 201014 yr Forget them for now. Just build it, watch it succeed like other streetcar projects have, and then inform the squinty-eyed/light-blinded masses that this is what cities are like in the rest of the world outside of the Enquirer's and AM-700's caves. Agreed. Lets get this construction going. Luken's quotes make it seem like the end of the world is upon us.
July 8, 201014 yr Great news. Where is the remaining $13.5 million expected to come from? Advertising.
July 8, 201014 yr I don't post much but I was wondering if something like this http://seattletransitblog.com/ this is an animation of the First hill streetcar route in Seattle, not to be confused with the lake union line. Maybe something like this video will give streetcar doubters a better idea what the city is proposing. I've been tooling around Seattle the past couple of days and I've got to say that the grades that they have their diesel electric buses travel seem just as steep, if not considerably steeper than Vine Street. $102 is downtown/otr/banks loop $28 is uptown connector $55 is uptown circulator Total Streetcar Funding: Urban Circulator – $25 million City Funding – $64 million State TRAC grant – $15 million Sale of streetlights to Duke Energy – $6.5 million OKI CMAQ grant – $4 million Total – $114.5 million What's interesting to me is how much of this still is coming from local funding, especially purely municipal funding. If the state government would stop restricting the ways cities can raise revenue then we might be able to see some real progress made real fast.
July 9, 201014 yr And tomorrow's Enquirer editorial will say ... "When you eat a pork chop, who do you think wins - you or the pork chop?"
July 9, 201014 yr I think we should all breathe a sigh of relief and forget about the naysayers. They lost, they are irrelevant. If you want to do point-counterpoint with the idiots, pick another issue. Engaging them only legitimizes their refusal to let the issue die. w00t w00t for the streetcar!
July 9, 201014 yr The Enquirer comments are going totally berserk. Would you expect anything less? It appears the COASTers have created multiple screen names in a last ditch effort to try and convince everyone the world is ending because of a streetcar in downtown Cincinnati (Judging by the constant use of "boondoggle" and "Trolley-folly".
July 9, 201014 yr I strongly recommend they should lie down in front of the first train in order to stop it. If they do, then you may hear my voice in the crowd: "Full speed ahead!" "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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