Wilmington, NC ― Streetcar Committee Formed

Rail Transit Online, October 2009

The Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority has approved the formation of an ad hoc committee to investigate a proposed heritage replica streetcar circulator for downtown Wilmington. However, the authority's board of directors, which oversees the local bus transit system, held off approving a $45,000 expenditure for a feasibility study that would identify a tentative route and make some initial cost estimates. Potential alignments include a mile-long (1.6 km) single track along Water Street from the Wilmington Convention Center to Chandler's Wharf and a downtown loop stretching several miles.

Members said they wanted to proceed cautiously, first obtaining support from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. "You don't move forward without working with your major funding partners," authority member Laura Padgett told The Star-News.