Members of the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta will be discussing ways to raise $40,000 to hire an architectural firm to look at a proposed trolley system for downtown Augusta.

Representatives from the Charlotte office of URS, a national engineering firm, met with DDA officials earlier this week to discuss a possible track alignment.

If hired to make an initial study, URS would be asked to identify funding options, estimate ridership and prepare preliminary cost estimates.

The idea for a trolley came from a Clemson University student who studied the idea as a summer project.

A 4-mile rail trolley system snaking through Broad Street, the canal area and the medical district could cost $175 million.

Light rail systems in other metro areas have been useful tools for urban redevelopment.