Midtown Councilman to Kick Off Streetcar Construction

Dist. 2 Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall, who represents much of Midtown, will join U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other leaders Wednesday morning to kick off construction of the Atlanta Streetcar system.

The $94.4 million project will install the city's first streetcars since 1949, according to a release.

The first phase -- which last summer received $47.6 million in federal funding -- will construct an east-west line in downtown Atlanta. 

Four streetcars will circulate the 2.7-mile loop shaped like a figure eight, which converges at Woodruff Park. The line will run from the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic site to Centennial Olympic Park Drive, traveling no more than 25 to 35 miles an hour.

"The return of the streetcar is one of the most welcomed developments for downtown Atlanta," Midtown resident and journalist Maria Saporta wrote in November. "Based on the experience of a host of other U.S. cities, streetcars have sparked the rebirth of central areas by creating a pedestrian-oriented environment that encourages the reinvestment in downtowns."

Also at the Feb. 1 kick off event will be MARTA General Manager Beverly Scott, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and A.J. Robinson, president of the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.

Check out the presentation above for more information.