The Regional
Transit Authority is seeking bids for portions of the 4.1-mile Canal Street
trolley project and is moving forward with the planned Desire corridor
streetcar route. The RTA is seeking bidders to modify the Carrollton Streetcar
Barn, to fabricate medium and heavy structural components needed to build 23
replica heritage trolleys and to supply special trackwork. Local shop forces
at Carrollton will build the cars, requiring the barn to be altered to allow
both assembly of new vehicles and maintenance of the existing Perley Thomas
fleet. Separately, the RTA has issued a Request For Proposals to conduct
preliminary engineering and an Environmental Impact Study on the Desire
Streetcar line. The project would cost about $82 million and run approximately
three miles from Canal Street along North Rampart Street and St. Claude
Avenue. The only connection with Desire Street would be a single stop where
the tracks would cross the thoroughfare made famous by the Tennessee Williams
play. So far no money for construction has been identified.
