The streetcar extension cost $148 million, of which $75 million came
from the Federal Transit Administration. Obtaining the federal monies
proved frustrating and impossible under the George .W Bush
administration, with federal officials uninterested in a vehicle that
was neither faster, nor cheaper to build, than a bus. Streetcar
advocates have argued that their system increases public transit
ridership, that it is cheaper to operate, and that it spurs development
along its route. Since it was first launched, they say, private
developers have built more than 10,000 housing units and 5.5 million
square feet of commercial space within a block of the streetcar route.
Eastside Connection
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