ATLANTA — Crews continue to install tracks for a new streetcar line that is set to start operating next spring.
When it opens, the 2.7-mile streetcar line will connect with MARTA, the city’s transit system. Future plans call for the new streetcar to tie into the Atlanta BeltLine, a public-private partnership that is building walking paths along a ring of mostly abandoned railroad right-of-ways that circle the city.
Workers are expected to install a block of track every three to four weeks. The new line is funded with nearly $100 million – or roughly $37 million per mile – in federal and local funding.
“Actually seeing tracks being laid and sidewalks being rebuilt is thrilling and a major step for the city of Atlanta,” Tom Weyandt, senior policy adviser of transportation with the mayor’s office recently told Construction Equipment Guide. “The major federal funding was announced in October 2010, and since then we have been engaged in the final design, contractor selection, real estate and utilities prep work. Now that guideway construction is underway, one can actually get the vision for the final product.”
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