They aren't fence-sitting any longer.
After visiting the streetcar system in Arkansas' capital city, the committee studying a light rail streetcar system for downtown Augusta has slid over to the side of feasible. But the numbers aren't in yet.
"It's an impressive system, what they've done over there," said Steve Cassell, the city's traffic engineer, after returning from Little Rock, Ark. "Talking to some of the developers, they love it. It was something to see to believe. It meshes well in the traffic. We couldn't find anybody who didn't like it."
The committee of four spent two days with River Rail, which serves Little Rock and North Little Rock. The streetcar system started in 2004 and has spawned $400 million in development along the rails.
"You have to look at why they did their trolley. It wasn't for ridership originally; it was mostly as an economic-development tool," said Margaret Woodard, the executive director of the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, which is commissioning the local study.
Now that the exploratory trip has concluded, the information will be compiled into the feasibility study, which will be delivered to the authority's board during its Aug. 13 meeting, Ms. Woodard said.
"I wish, before people would be so critical about it, they would get a visual of it," said Juriah Lewis, the transit planner for the planning commission.
He said a system in Augusta would be more expensive to operate than in Little Rock. Transit is a department in Augusta; it is a transit authority in Little Rock.
"They have the ability to go after their own money," he explained.
Whether the streetcars would bog down the city's transit system is a main factor in its feasibility, as is its construction funding.
A proposed route of 2.5 miles is on the table from the engineering firm URS. The estimated cost of the light rail is $25 million.
URS is looking into a federal transportation department program called Fast Starts, which would pay for 90 percent of the cost.
Little Rock used a transportation department program called Small Starts, which pays up to 80 percent.
"They looked at it as an investment, not an expenditure. This was going to bring future investment. Look at the tax base they've grown," Ms. Woodard said.
The development that followed the light rail included a stadium, sports arena, hotels and condos.
Mr. Cassell said the system also seemed to have good ridership.
"That's what you want. You don't want a system that nobody uses," he said.
"Downtown 2 o'clock in the afternoon, what I would not consider a busy time ... there were 25 people waiting to get on the trolley," Ms. Woodard said.
The streetcar in Augusta would be part of a linked transit system. Officials have previously said they could move the bus station to Seventh Street and transfer riders from the streetcars to buses. The downtown rail system would allow the city to shift three or four bus routes to other areas.
"You're always going to have the detractors, and you're going to have the supporters. Try to get everyone to the same table. We would hope it would work here in time," Mr. Cassell said. "We're in an infancy on how this would spur development. What we need right now is a champion to get behind it, a large developer or politician."
The Augusta contingent visited Little Rock because of its success in five years and its similar demographics to Augusta. The cost of the trip came from $40,000 of SPLOST money the DDA set aside for the feasibility study.
"Do I think Augusta will ever get it? I don't know," Mr. Lewis said. "I think it was worth taking a look at it."
Reach Tim Rausch at (706) 823-3352 or timothy.rausch@augustachronicle.com.
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"The estimated cost of the light rail is $25 million" and "Fast Starts ..... would pay for 90 percent of the cost." Does that mean that taxpayers would only have to pay $250,000? I find that hard to believe. Why not take a look at the San Antonio Street Car System which is an authentic reproduction of a rail streetcar, but requires no rails so routes can be adjusted if/when necessary?
Free trolley passes to all hotel guests.
Why not have some video done for this. I'm not talking about video from the company who makes it, but video made by people like this when they went on the trip to check it out. A picture is worth a thousand words. If the public actually saw the thing and it being in use, maybe the public would get behind it. Just a thought.
Remember all the money spent getting the old tracks off of the street ? "Streetcar Called Desire?" Whose? Would a streetcar get all the noisy motorcycles off Broad Street. No ! Will the streetcar make more noise ? Probably. Will it go by The Golf Gardens ? Will it go by the Aqueduct Park ? Will it interfere with the 6th Street tracks that now block traffic frequently ? Will it go to the Augusta National ? Will it, Will it, Will it help downtown?
No Longer Amazed, I think you left off a zero, 10% of 25 million is 2.5 million. But your idea of the no rails might be a good first step. Once the rails are in place it will be impossible to change the routes without more expense.
Little Rock also has an incredible outdoor market downtown. The town that Bill Clinton built! What we need is a good liberal mayor with some vision.
It appears Ms Woodard and Mr. Cassell don't want detractors speaking out. So the idea is to build something that people will come downtown specifically to ride. I say we put a roller coaster in the Broad St median that will take you from the start to the end of Broad where the strip clubs are in one hair raising minute. Instead of older people having to jump on and off a street car they can ride the roller coaster that furnishes Depends before they get on.
Shivas, forgive me, but let me point out the Commission in Augusta has all the power the way the charter was set up. We certanly have enough Democratic liberals there. By the way, Charleston also uses the replica street cars that are really buses running on tires instead of tracks.
getalife: I stand corrected. Senior brains don't work too well, especially at 2 in the morning. Thanks :)
I spent 5 months in Houston with my brother as he had cancer treatments there and they have a very reliable light rail system that has proved to be successful. There are always crowds of people waiting for the rail to arrive at it's designated stops. Houston's light rail runs from south of the Astrodome complex, through the Texas Medical Center, and to Downtown Houston with numerous designated stops along the way. This is a simple light rail system that basically has stops in all the popular areas between the Aastrodome and University of Houston, and just goes back and forth all day. I could see a system like this work in Augusta if it's leaders do their homework and pick the best one for this size city. I agree with No Longer Amazed about checking out other systems. You have 2 very reliable systems in San Antonio and Houston 3 hrs apart that can be looked at for ideas. And pictures are worth a lot as Just My Opinion stated.
This is all well and good if there were things that tourists to Augusta would want to visit along the route. The fact is, Augusta is NOT a tourist destination for people other than Masters fans. And trying to give us the angle that the trolley would help with mass transit is ridiculous... we can't even fill the buses that we have. The AC is on board with this and is going to show this in the best light possible, so it's up to the participants in this forum to give the real opinions of Augustans and let the commissioners know that we're tired of them wasting our money.
has anyone of the commissioners or the the people on this so called "fact finding mission" ever stopped to look at the demographics of houstion and/or little rock....what is the population/income breakdown of the people who use the trolley system in these two cities???, what is the frequency of ridership of the people who use the trolley/light rail system in these two cities???? but as usual the mentality of the people making the decisions is "Lif you build it they will come"...hey commissioners why not first clean up downtown and make it safe or increase the perception of being safe before committing 25 million dollars of the poor property owners money to something doomed to fail because of your poor planning and foresight
so let me get this right: build a rail system to take people back and forth to facilities that haven't been constructed? sorry, i guess i lack the vision for this project
i done been to charleston, it hath persuaded me to support an ocean for augusta. our city will greatly benefit from it. it will bring business downtown. projected cost, 42 trillion dollars. actual cost, some astronomical number
Why would people ride a streetcar if they aren't riding the buses? How will a streetcar be any different than riding a bus?
Why? I understand their theory that this would be an investment and attract development but if downtown isn't a draw now to tourists, it won't be a draw after the trolleys are built. There is nothing downtown that anyone outside of Augusta will make a specific trip to come and see. We have no Aquarium, no riverfront full of shops and cafes. We have a nice museum next to some strip clubs, we have another nice museum on the canal with bums fishing next to it, we have a riverfront you can't see with very little foot traffic. The Georgia golf hall of fame and other downtown attractions can only attract visitors during masters week, and then just barely. Its time to call a spade a spade and realize that people only come to augusta for the masters, we are not a tourist destination, and all the pie in the sky ideas will not make us one.
as an avid supporter of downtown......this is simply a waste of money......splost money wasted on this study......what's next....a canal study for ellis street....oh wait, nevermind.
Another thought, all these dreamers with big ideas need to consider one thing. If it was your money would this be such a good idea? If it was actually these commitee members writing the check out of their checkbook, would this still be a good idea? HUH? I didn't think so. It's always a good idea to buy something if it doesn't impact your wallet. Even if it only ends up as 10% of 25 Mil (which won't happen with overruns etc) its still to much to gamble on prospective passengers.
Corgimom you are from Charlotte. Tell them how the light rail worked, for the metro area of a million people.
Count me as a detractor. This is not Little Rock or Houston.
Anybody out there remember the buses the city bought that looked liked trolley cars ? They found them later on in a field somewhere and sold them to another city. What a waste of money if this gets approved.
I'm all for light-rail, but it has to go somewhere. If it just circles downtown, it is more of a ride than a transit system. Tourist don't flock to downtown Augusta and residents don't want a ride. You need to think about competing with clogged road ways.
This is the most rediculous idea I've ever heard of,.. why do these commisioners think that a trolly on rails is going to save or redevelope Augusta. There is nothing here that attracts tourists for more than one week a year. This is the most rediculous thing that I have ever heard. There is no draw to downtown,.. and I don't think that a couple of trollys are going to be enoough to create that draw. If we had something, anything that drew tourists here year-round then I might be onboard. Next thing you know they will be installing metered parking downtown to cover the cost of maintenance on the trollys.
If you had a light-rail that went from Downtown to Augusta State, I'd ALMOST understand the plan. Students/residents could go downtown and eat/drink and take the trolley instead of driving, but seriously... a trolley going up and down the streets of downtown will get very little ridership.
I think you could walk faster down from 15th and broad street to old town, then take a trolley that makes stops along the way. That is if you don't get robbed while walking. Downtown isn't big enough for a light rail system. It would have to be extensive for it to work!
I find it ridiculous how many people can't spell ridiculous.
Another big waste of taxpayer money!!!! Idiots leading idiots!!!!!
Wonder if the "committee" would have gone on their "little" "Feasibility" Study if they had to fund thier trip out of their own pockets
I wonder if they got rental cars, that would have been funny. Would someone look into that?
That was a good one Trey.Looks like our commissioners dont care how much money they waste.A trolley bus system would be a cheaper and better idea.But wait they tried that and it did'nt work.So our commissioners or the committee used our tax money to go to Little Rock Ark for four days to study this system.Sounds like a vacation.