The Salem city council has been asked to
share half the cost of a three-month, $50,000 preliminary feasibility study for
a streetcar line that would connect the new conference center, Willamette
University, Salem Hospital and the state capitol with downtown. Mayor Janet
Taylor favors the proposal, and the Salem Area Mass Transit District has already
committed to contributing the other $25,000. The study will look at route
alternatives, capital costs, funding sources and whether the trolleys would help
improve mobility. A committee formed to research the project has developed an
initial loop that would be three to four miles (4.8 km to 6.4 km) in length.
“Certainly, this isn’t something for the immediate future,” Mayor Taylor told
the Statesman Journal. “But it’s exciting to be visionary and look out into our
future and make the best it can be.” Taylor has also asked civic groups and the
business community to give their opinions before any commitments are made.
