Hill Brothers Construction Co. of Falkner,
Mississippi, was low bidder for a contract to build a 2.5-mile, six-station
extension of the Main Street heritage trolley line that will run along Madison
Avenue between Main and Cleveland from downtown to the Medical Center. Hill
Brothers’ bid of $23.7 million, one of only two submitted despite nationwide
advertising, was significantly lower than Memphis Area Transit Authority's
estimate of $27.6 million. Once the MATA board affirms the contract, the
electrical work will be subcontracted to Haines Electric Co., a Memphis firm
that outfitted the original trolley line. The trolley may be the first link in a
regional light rail system — a feasibility and route study on a corridor
connecting downtown with the southeastern suburbs was approved by MATA’s board
last January. Included in the scope of work is a proposed spur south to Memphis
International Airport.
