Seattle — Everett Studies Streetcars

Rail Transit Online, May 2007

A pair of major public-private waterfront developments in the city of Everett has sparked a $112,700 study to determine if they should be connected by streetcar.  One project will be located on the bayside at the foot of 13th Street while the second would be located along a two-mile (3.2 km) slice of the Snohomish River, focused on 41st Street.  Another possible route would run north-south along Colby Avenue between downtown and Everett Community College.  “It's kind of exciting stuff,” Councilman Drew Nielsen told The Seattle Times.  “We don't know whether it's financially feasible at this point, but we're certainly interested.”  Consultant Nelson\Nygaard is expected to issue a report to the city council this summer, including cost estimates and possible funding sources.  One of the firm’s principals, Tom Brennan, said the system might be affordable if it were built in phases, initially from downtown to the railroad station; later, it could be extended to the waterfront.  Still to be decided is whether the streetcars should be modern or historic.