Ambitious plan to bring streetcars back to D.C.

WASHINGTON -- An old school way of getting around D.C. is getting some new attention.

The D.C. Department of Transportation is traveling around the city, showing off an ambitious plan for 37 miles of modern streetcars with eight lines.

The hope is that neighborhoods will be connected and rebuilt, and drivers will get out of their cars cutting down on congestion.

But if streetcars were phased out in the city previously, why bring them back?

"It's something that we had that worked really well," DDOT Director Gabe Klein tells WTOP.

"We had over 200 miles of streetcar system in and around the city. It used to be the primary mode of transportation, particularly between places like Chevy Chase and Bethesda and downtown. It really linked neighborhoods."

He points to an emerging streetcar network in Portland, Ore., as an example of what could be coming to the District.

"They have seen property values (near the lines) increase by 1,000 percent. They have seen $3.5 billion worth of investment within a few blocks of the streetcar line," Klein says.

"Not only is this a way to link people and neighborhoods, but it is also a way to rebuild neighborhoods. And there are parts of our city that have struggled to rebuild since the original streetcar network was paved over and the riots happened in '68."

Right now, DDOT has accelerated plans for two of the eight lines. Tracks have already started to be put down in Anacostia and across H Street in Northeast. The plans right now call for those lines opening around 2012.

The agency also expects to have three streetcars it owns -- that were being stored in the Czech Republic -- shipped by boat to the city in December.

Future streetcar lines are being tweaked, but the goal is to have them running through corridors like Georgia, Florida, Rhode Island and Minnesota Avenues.

The entire investment for a project on this scale is estimated to cost about $1.5 billion.

"When you compare that to other transit investments -- for instance the Silver and Purple Lines, which we wholeheartedly support -- when you look at the streetcar investment, it is really a bargain."

The Silver Line Metro extension to Dulles International Airport is projected to cost over $5 billion. The Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton is expected to cost about $1.6 billion.

Funding for the first two streetcar lines is already available. DDOT says the remaining funding could come from a number of sources including public/private partnerships and federal grants.

Besides funding, another potential roadblock for D.C.'s new streetcar system could be the actual operation of the system. In historical sections of the city, the National Capital Planning Commission has expressed concerns about unsightly overhead wires that could obstruct city views, such as the Capitol Building.

"We get a sense that there is some flexibility there," says DDOT spokesperson John Lisle. "One possible way around that could be a hybrid system that would allow the streetcar to drop the wires for a mile. We are looking at that."

There will be a number of open houses held about expanding the program:

Ward 7: Thursday, Oct. 29
Thomas Elementary, 650 Anacostia Avenue, NE

Ward 8: Monday, Nov. 2
Savoy Elementary, 2400 Shannon Place, SE

Ward 5: Tuesday, Nov. 3
Luke Moore Academy , 1001 Monroe Street, NE

Ward 3: Wednesday, Nov. 4
Stoddert Elementary, 4001 Calvert Street, NW

All open houses will begin at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)