New Streetcar Routes

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Ann Butler has the scoop on the plan for 5 new streetcar lines that SDOT willl propose to Council tomorrow. It’s a bit different from the various plans we’ve bandied about here, but it shares some commonalities, including the route to Ballard via Westlake-Fremont-Leary.

None of the routes will mimic the Monorail’s Green Line from Ballard to West Seattle, for various reasons that Butler mentions. Funding is, of course, still up in the air.

I’m very curious how successful the Streetcar will be on crowded, narrow streets with lots of on-street parking, like 1st Avenue in Belltown, Eastlake Ave E, and Broadway. It’s a very different proposition than the relatively quiet Westlake Ave.