Street Car News

Conceptual Rendering of the Streetcar Line on St Claude Avenue

January 2003

January 2003 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement Hearings

The RTA in conjunction with the Federal Transit Administration has scheduled public hearings to solicit comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

- Wednesday, 29 January 2003
Municipal Auditorium, Mask Room, 2nd Floor
1201 St Peter Street in Armstrong Park
11:30 am-1:30 pm

- Wednesday, 29 January 2003
Holy Angels Convent Chapel
3500 St Claude Avenue (enter on Gallier Street)
7:00 pm-9:00 pm

- Thursday, 30 January 2003
St Paul Lutheran Church
2624 Burgundy Street (at Port Street)
7:00 pm-9:00 pm

 
May 31, 2001 - The RTA held the first of Four Stakeholder Meetings to bring the community up to date on the Desire Streetcar Project.

 The meeting, held at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/Riverside covered :

  • History
  • Locally Preferred Alternative
  • Development Plan Stages
    • System Planning/Major Investment Study (Completed)
    • Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Impact Statement (PE/EIS - In Work)
    • Final Design
    • Construction
  • Timeline
  • Cost

The proposed streetcar route is shown on the map below in green. The study area is outlined in black. The PE/EIS is scheduled to complete later this year. Final design should complete at the end of 2002. Construction is scheduled to run from early 2003 through the end of 2005.

Additional Stakeholder Meetings are planned for:

 
June 3, 1998, Congress passed and sent to the President the "Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.' This Act includes the following provisions for New Orleans:

SEC. 3030. PROJECTS FOR NEW FIXED GUIDEWAY SYSTEMS AND EXTENSIONS TO EXISTING SYSTEMS.

(a) FINAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION-The following projects are authorized for final design and construction for fiscal years 1998 through 2003 under section 5309(m)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code:

(51) New Orleans--Canal Streetcar

(b) ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS AND PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING- The following projects are authorized for alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering for fiscal years 1998 through 2003 under section 5309(m)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code:

(33) New Orleans--Airport--CBD Commuter Rail.
(34) New Orleans--Desire Streetcar.

 
February 5, 1997, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) received a $1.9 million federal grant to study the possibility or restoring streetcar service to the fabled Desire line.
The funds, from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be used to conduct a "Major Investment Study" of the Desire Corridor. The Desire Corridor is the area bounded by Canal Street, N. Rampart/St. Claude Ave, the Industrial Canal, and the Mississippi River. The corridor includes the Vieux Carre (French Quarter), Faubourg Marigny, and Bywater, three of New Orleans oldest neighborhoods. These neighborhoods contain densely developed residential areas, tourist-related commercial activities, Port activities, the F. Edward Hebert Defense Complex and the future home of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA).
The study, which is expected to take about 18 months, will evaluate the transportation needs of the area, which is presently served by nine RTA bus routes and the Riverfront streetcar line, which together carry 20 percent of RTA's customers. It is expected that the Desire streetcar could help relieve traffic congestion in the French Quarter and adjacent neighborhoods.
The Desire streetcar line would provide service from Canal Street to Poland Avenue, running downriver through the French Quarter, Fauboug Marigny, and Bywater and then returning. Connections to the Riverfront line and the planned Canal Street line would be studied.
After completion of the 'Major Investment Study", and the preferred alternative is approved by the FTA, funding will be sought for preliminary engineering and the completion of a draft environmental impact statement and input by area residents. Successful completion of all these steps can lead to reconstruction of the Desire Streetcar within a few years.
Please offer your input and support to this important project.
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Copyright © 2003 by BNA
Last Modified on 07/15/2004