More than 15 years of planning and $135 million in federal and state backing couldn’t keep Fort Lauderdale’s Wave streetcar project on track.
On Tuesday, the Broward County Commission voted to end the Wave, according to the Sun Sentinel. The streetcar would have operated on a 2.8-mile route winding through downtown Fort Lauderdale, transporting passengers from Northeast Sixth Avenue to Southeast 17th Street.
The project was birthed in a effort to reduce traffic in the city, but instead it was met with opposition from the city’s newly elected city commission and residents that said the streetcar system’s fixed-route rails would only add to the traffic.
Cost was another factor that led to the Wave’s demise. The lowest bid, which came from a joint venture between Prince Contracting and Delta Railroad Construction, exceeded the county’s $142.5 million budget, according to the application. At the meeting, the joint venture asked the county to delay its decision, saying they may still be able to reduce the total project cost of nearly $145 million.
The county was acting within the terms of its agreement to stop the Wave project, according to Broward County’s attorney, Drew Meyers. [Sun Sentinel] – Amanda Rabines