A couple weeks ago, we let you know that Seattle was going to start looking seriously at a half-mile extension of the SLU train through the Broadway commercial district. You might ask, why stop there? Well that's apparently the same question the city is asking itself.
According to the Seattle Times, Seattle may approve plans today to spend as much as $10 million to study streetcar lines in Eastlake, Ballard, Downtown, and north Broadway.
Also up for discussion is a fifth line that runs along Madison Street to be served by buses, since the route is deemed too steep for rail.
Mayor McGinn told reporters that the streetcar plan would connect the various neighborhoods and commuters that live in them in a way that isn't possible with just buses, cars and bikes.
As for who is footing the bill for the study, the city will foot a $5.5M bill while Sound Transit and the federal government will cover the bulk of the cost.
If you'd like to see what the full vision of the Seattle streetcar plan might look like, you can check out this map of the proposed new lines.
· Seattle's streetcar dream may be getting back on track [Seattle Times]
· Streetcar Coming to Broadway? Idea Gets Major Boost [Curbed Seattle]