Sat Jul 11, 2015 8:11 am (PDT) .
MILWAUKEE will begin construction of its downtown modern streetcar line in
October and changes to the route alignment have reduced utility relocation
costs, the "urban milwaukee dot com" site reports. "Not a single track has
been laid, but final engineering work has already reduced the utilities
relocation bill on the Milwaukee Streetcar project by over $1 million.
During a streetcar task force meeting Friday morning project consultants *Tim
Clancy* <http://urbanmilwaukee.com/people/tim-clancy/> of The Concord Group
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/business/the-concord-group/> and *Ashley Booth
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/people/ashley-booth>* of HNTB
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/businesses/hntb> detailed their firms’ work on
negotiating with the utilities and procuring the vehicles. ... Bids have
been received for the streetcar vehicles. The consulting team declined to
identify how many or who the bidders are. They did announce that they
intend to award the contract in September, following final review and
interviews with the bidding teams." Here is the route map before changes to
lower utility relocaion costs. The article says that a : "more than $1
million reduction in costs was realized from minor route modifications as
well as swapping E. Wells St. for E. Kilbourn Ave. and relocating
north-bound tracks to N. Jackson St. from N. Van Buren St."
< http://www.trolleyville.com/tv/times/may2015/headline05.html>
Here is a later map:
< http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=277190&page=16>
<
*http://tinyurl.com/ncy53h4 <http://tinyurl.com/ncy53h4>>"*Streetcar
Construction Starts in October
On-going engineering work continues to save millions of dollars. And
anti-streetcar group has given up trying to stop the starter line.
By Jeramey Jannene <http://urbanmilwaukee.com/author/jeramey/>
Jul 10th, 2015 05:48 pm
[image: The streetcar as it meets Broadway in the Third Ward.]
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/rendering2_lg.jpg>
The streetcar as it meets Broadway in the Third Ward.
Not a single track has been laid, but final engineering work has already
reduced the utilities relocation bill on the Milwaukee Streetcar project by
over $1 million.
During a streetcar task force meeting Friday morning project consultants *Tim
Clancy* <http://urbanmilwaukee.com/people/tim-clancy/> of The Concord Group
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/business/the-concord-group/> and *Ashley Booth
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/people/ashley-booth>* of HNTB
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/businesses/hntb> detailed their firms’ work on
negotiating with the utilities and procuring the vehicles.
More work between the engineering team and We Energies
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/businesses/we-energies> has been finalized, and
more than $1 million reduction in costs was realized from minor route
modifications as well as swapping E. Wells St. for E. Kilbourn Ave. and
relocating north-bound tracks to N. Jackson St. from N. Van Buren St.
Now that the route is locked in, pending expected federal approval, design
work is beginning on the overhead contact system.
That work is expected to be completed by November, with contracts for
construction of the system awarded in January 2016.
Construction would start in April and be completed by February 2018.
Following final testing, the general public could start riding the system
in July 2018.
Construction work on the utilities will begin in advance of the track and
overhead wire system, with design work being completed next month for the
public utilities.
Contracts will be awarded for that work in September. The first streetcar
project shovels will go into the ground in October. The utility work is
expected to be completed in August 2016.
Bids have been received for the streetcar vehicles. The consulting team
declined to identify how many or who the bidders are.
They did announce that they intend to award the contract in September,
following final review and interviews with the bidding teams.
Once the specifications of the winning bidder’s vehicles are known,
planning will commence for the construction of the Operations and
Maintenance Facility
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/building/milwaukee-streetcar-operations-and-maintenance-facility/>.
That facility is planned to be built underneath Interstate 794.
The lakefront extension of the streetcar to the Henry Maier Festival
Grounds and proposed The Couture
< http://urbanmilwaukee.com/buildings/the-couture> is also undergoing survey
work currently.
That extension was approved with the starter line, but will be constructed
later than the starter line because of the engineering work still required.
Utilities Cost Issue.
by "Edward Havens" watsonscruff2000
