Orange County and federal officials celebrating Friday’s groundbreaking of a Santa Ana to Garden Grove streetcar project received another reason to cheer: a $149 million federal grant to help fund it.
Coupled with previous federal funding, the grant that was announced Friday means Washington is footing more than half of the bill — about $217 million — for the $408 million project.
“This is a truly exciting day as we officially begin construction on a new travel option in Orange County’s urban core where public transit is critical in moving residents, employees and visitors on a daily basis,” said Lisa Bartlett, an Orange County Supervisor and chairwoman of the Orange County Transportation Authority board.
“This project is a good example of leveraging federal funds to support locally driven transportation priorities,” Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams said. “It will provide important multi-modal connections to Amtrak, Metrolink commuter rail, Greyhound and local bus service.”
The OC Streetcar will operate on a 4.1-mile route from Santa Ana’s downtown to Garden Grove. The streetcar will run daily, stopping at 10 locations in each direction every 10 to 15 minutes, officials said.
The 70-seat streetcars have room for up to 180 passengers. Officials expect about 7,300 passengers daily in its inaugural year.
The streetcar is expected to get rolling in late 2021.