The OC Streetcar project has been included on a list of 10 high-priority California infrastructure projects that the State has recommended for expedited permitting by the federal government. The list was compiled in response to an executive order issued by the Trump Administration requesting each State to submit priority projects for consideration for expedited environmental review and approval.
The modern electric streetcar, which will connect commuters to employment centers, schools and major retail destinations in Santa Ana and Garden Grove, was included in a letter from the state to the federal Council on Environmental Quality.
The inclusion of the OC Streetcar among the Top 10 state infrastructure projects is another strong indicator that the project is a priority not just for Orange County but for all of California. This also builds on an earlier list submitted by the State to the National Governor’s Association, listing the OC Streetcar as a priority project to receive funding for any federal infrastructure investment package.
Other projects include the Orville Dam Spillway in Northern California and freeway Express Lanes on the I-15 in Riverside County and I-10 in San Bernardino County.
Led by OCTA, the OC Streetcar project is part of the Measure M half-cent sales tax program approved by voters. It will be Orange County’s first modern electric streetcar and will run on a 4.2-mile route from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, up Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the Pacific Electric right-of-way to Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove.
The $298 million project is being developed in close coordination with the Federal Transit Administration and entered the engineering phase January – the last major planning phase before construction begins in 2018.
The OC Streetcar project needs a federal permit to complete a bridge over the Santa Ana River. The project’s inclusion as a high priority for California could help expedite the review of permits.
The system is expected to carry up to 7,500 daily passengers and is scheduled to begin operations in 2020. To learn more about OC Streetcar, click here.