LaHood praises streetcars at groundbreaking

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday joined New Orleans officials at a groundbreaking ceremony marking the extension of streetcar service 1.5 miles along Loyola Avenue. The estimated $45 million extension will link Canal Street with Union Passenger Terminal, served by Amtrak.

Full-scale construction is scheduled to commence next month. Regional Transportation Authority staff has recommended Archer Western Contractors of Arlington, Tex., for the job, and RTA’s Board of Directors is expected to approve the deal shortly. Service could begin sometime in 2012.

“There’s not a lot of money in Washington,” LaHood (pictured at left) said at the ceremony, addressing those in attendance. “So when we give money, we give it to those organizations that have great leadership,” he said, praising RTA for its pursuit of rail transit options. “Streetcars are coming back to America,” LaHood added.

LaHood also announced that the administration has awarded the RTA a $400,000 grant to establish a streetcar maintenance training program designed to create new jobs for skilled workers. Funding comes from the federal stimulus package.