Anaheim — Project Killed

June 2016

The voiceofoc.org site reports that the Orange County Transportation Authority voted unanimously on June 27 to withdraw support for the 3.2 mile, $300 million transit project and instead to study other transportation alternatives for the Harbor Boulevard corridor.

The board debated and delayed this decision subsequent to a highly politicized report by an ad hoc committee of four project’s opponents which recommended the city of Anaheim drop the streetcar project and hand it over to OCTA.

Support for the project eroded as discussions of its cost and impacts raised questions about whether potential ridership could cover its costs.

The streetcar was estimated to cost nearly $100 million per mile – one of the most expensive projects in the country, according to an OCTA study. It was also considered a long shot for FTA funding even though local sources had supported covering half the cost.

Although OCTA has stopped planning for the project, a streetcar is not completely out of the question. The council vote requires a study of transportation options for the corridor and could include a streetcar.

Increasing support for a streetcar project connecting Santa Ana and Garden Grove has led OCTA to focus its resources on that project, rather than consideriing independent projects without an overall regional plan.