Baton Rouge — Mayor Seeks Streetcar Funding

February 2014

The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report site reports that as planning for the development of a streetcar along Nicholson Drive continues to advance, Mayor Kip Holden is exploring sources of federal funding.

Holden and seven other U.S. mayors met with U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to discuss funding to cover part of the cost of the 3.5-mile streetcar line, which could be $60 million or more. Both HUD and the Federal Department of Transportation offer funding, but competition for the money is tight, according to the mayor.

The streetcar line is planned to link the LSU campus to downtown. Local leaders see the streetcar as being essential to the redevelopment of the Nicholson Drive corridor.