| Work Detail |
Contractors will bid soon on building the downtown streetcar line, one of the single biggest MAPS 3 construction projects. Construction of the 4.6-mile main line and 2.3-mile Bricktown loop is estimated to cost $57.2 million. We are right on budget, consultant Mark Dorn told a MAPS 3 advisory subcommittee this week. Including six streetcars and a maintenance shop, the streetcar system is expected to cost $131 million. Installation of the rails is expected to begin in November and take nearly two years. Preparations have begun to coordinate business activities and special events with the construction schedule as work proceeds. The streetcar''s main line will link Midtown and Bricktown, passing through the Central Business District. Stops will serve St. Anthony Hospital and Automobile Alley, the MAPS 3 convention center and park, and Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Bricktown loop will give the system flexibility for frequent service between Bricktown and the convention center district, including the arena. The MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board voted Thursday to recommend the city council approve final plans for the route and authorize the city clerk to seek construction bids. The council is to give final approval to advertise for bids on Tuesday. Bids will be due Oct. 11, with selection of a contractor set for Nov. 8. The detailed drawings outlining the plans for construction of the streetcar line run to 1,200 pages. A set weighs an estimated 150 pounds. Consultants also said this week: • Final design review of the six streetcars being built in western Pennsylvania by Brookville Equipment Corp. will be the first week of September. The first streetcar is to be delivered in May 2017. • Streetcars will be stored at an Embark transit agency yard on S May Avenue until they are moved to the maintenance shop at SW 7 Street and Hudson Avenue. The shop is to be ready in August 2017. • Rail and components including switches will be delivered starting as soon as next week. The last of the specialized components is to be delivered by July 2017. • Rail will be welded in storage yards, one near the north end of the route and the other near the south end. Long sections of welded rail will be dragged into position for installation as construction proceeds. |
