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FY24 Federal Appropriations Request
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DESCRIPTION: Authorize RTA to submit appropriations requests for the FY2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations process |
AGENDA NO: Click or tap here to enter text. |
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ACTION REQUEST: ☒ Approval ☐ Review Comment ☐ Information Only ☐ Other |
RECOMMENDATION:
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Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to submit $3,600,000 for the FY2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations process to fund ADA and Safety upgrades to the St. Charles Streetcar Line. The total requested amount is $3,600,000 with a local match not to exceed $600,000.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is seeking $3,600,000 in funding to improve the ADA accessibility and safety of the historic St. Charles Streetcar Line as part of the agency’s commitment to building an equitable, efficient, and reliable transit system for all New Orleans residents and visitors. To better accommodate passengers with limited mobility, including those who use wheelchairs and walkers, the funding will be used to retrofit the RTA streetcar fleet with wheelchair lifts, to improve safety along the route and to bring streetcar stops in compliance with ADA standards.
Four additional Riverfront streetcars will be converted to replicas of the Historic Perley A. Thomas Streetcars which requires1200-man hours per streetcar. The cars will be disassembled, repaired, and painted inside and out to match the Perley A. Thomas cars. Riders will also experience a smoother ride due to the cars improved propulsion system which is more in line with light rail on our other streetcar routes.
Funding will also be used to retrofit stops with platforms large enough for streetcar operators to safely deploy Limited Mobility (ADA) ramps, install yellow tactile warning strips, install protective bollards, and regrade stops to provide ADA compliant surfaces among other safety improvements along the corridor.
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DISCUSSION:
This project builds on the initial 2020 local investment by the RTA and the City of New Orleans to retrofit and introduce three ADA compliant streetcars and 12 ADA compliant stops on the St, Charles Streetcar line. Today, of the 10-12 St. Charles streetcars in service on a typical day, only two cars are accessible which could mean that a rider requiring assistance boarding could wait up to 45 minutes. By increasing the ADA-compliant Streetcars to seven, the RTA intends to have every other car in service to be fully accessible, which will better balance the needs of our vulnerable riders and the desire to maintain access to the 1923 Historic Streetcars.
Dating back to 1835, the St. Charles Streetcar Line is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the United States. The line travels from the edge of the French Quarter all the way down St. Charles Avenue terminating at Carrollton Avenue and S. Claiborne Avenue. The line is a National Historic Landmark featuring the famed green and crimson “Perley Thomas” streetcars which were built in 1923. Each streetcar is entirely fabricated in-house by our skilled team of artisans at the Willow Streetcar Barn.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Project Budget Sources:
Federal $3,000,000
Local Match $600,000
Total $3,600,000
Estimated Project Budget Uses:
Streetcar Retrofit (4 Cars) $2,000,000
Engineering, Design & Construction Stops/Safety $1,600,000
Total ` $3,600,000
NEXT STEPS:
The RTA is working with the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission to add the project to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) which is a requirement of this funding.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution for FY23 Appropriations Request
Prepared By: Ana Rodriguez
Title: Marketing Coordinator
Reviewed By: Dwight Norton
Title: Interim Chief of Infrastructure and Planning
Reviewed By: Gizelle Banks
Title: Chief Financial Officer
4/4/2023
Lona Edwards Hankins Date
Chief Executive Officer