Atlanta tries again for Peachtree Streetcar federal funding

Atlanta officials are asking the feds to once again consider doling out some cash for the Peachtree Streetcar project. Only this time, the pot of money is much, much smaller and the route has been scaled down. Maria Saporta reports:

In the current application, the city is proposing a 2.6 mile East-West loop that would have 13 stops between Centennial Olympic Park and the historic district along Edgewood and Auburn avenues, going as far as the King Center.

The total project cost $72.1 million, and the city plans to apply for $52 million in federal funding and provide $20 million in local funding, according to Luz Borrero, deputy chief operating officer for the City of Atlanta.

By comparison, in the first round of TIGER grants, the city applied for nearly $300 million for 9.2 miles — including the East-West loop as well as building out the first phase of a streetcar on Peachtree Street going up towards Brookwood Station.

There’s also a local buy-in, Saporta reports, with $20 million in bond funding from the city and Atlanta Development Authority. City Council is scheduled to discuss the application this week.

Saporta’s got more details, so check out her post. But it’s worth noting that this proposed route — linking Auburn and Edgewood avenues and Centennial Olympic Park — makes much more sense and could do more to revitalize downtown than a Peachtree line along arguably Atlanta’s most dense corridor. Not to mention one which already has a north-south transit line in the form of MARTA. (Some more info, though it might be a bit dated, on the proposed route is available here.)