Omaha Streetcar: Difference between revisions
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===Planning and development=== |
===Planning and development=== |
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In 2009, the City of Omaha and Heritage Services developed a ''Downtown Omaha Masterplan'' to improve the Omaha downtown area by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jensen |first=Steven |last2=Bisson |first2=Douglas |date=February 5, 2010 |title=Downtown Omaha 2030 Master Plan: Creative Resolution to Unique Challenges |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706185611/https://www.newpartners.org/2010/docs/presentations/friday/np10_bisson_jensen.pdf |url-status=live |url=https://www.newpartners.org/2010/docs/presentations/friday/np10_bisson_jensen.pdf |archive-date= |
In 2009, the City of Omaha and Heritage Services developed a ''Downtown Omaha Masterplan'' to improve the Omaha downtown area by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jensen |first=Steven |last2=Bisson |first2=Douglas |date=February 5, 2010 |title=Downtown Omaha 2030 Master Plan: Creative Resolution to Unique Challenges |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706185611/https://www.newpartners.org/2010/docs/presentations/friday/np10_bisson_jensen.pdf |url-status=live |url=https://www.newpartners.org/2010/docs/presentations/friday/np10_bisson_jensen.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2010 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=newpartners.org}}</ref> The transportation element of the ''Omaha Master Plan'' was completed in 2012, and included a [[Bus rapid transit|Bus Rapid Transit]] (BRT) and other non-car transit as part of the transportation blueprints.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Suttle |first=Jim |date=2010 |title=Omaha Master Plan - Transportation Element |url=https://urbanplanning.cityofomaha.org/images/stories/Master%20Plan%20Elements/Omaha_Transportation_Element_Final_TODAmendments_TODamendments_102620.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112153354/https://urbanplanning.cityofomaha.org/images/stories/Master%20Plan%20Elements/Omaha_Transportation_Element_Final_TODAmendments_TODamendments_102620.pdf |archive-date=12 November 2021 |access-date=19 May 2023 |website=cityofomaha.org}}</ref> In 2013 as part of a central Omaha transit analysis, SB Friedman Development Advisors forecast central Omaha development impacts from improved transit.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2014 |title=2014 TIGER Grant Application |url=https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318191606/https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=ometro.com |pages=23–48}}</ref> The Friedman analysis compared streetcar projects from Portland, Seattle, and Tampa to BRT alternatives from Cleveland & Kansas, estimating the streetcar increases development by $1 billion & the BRT alternative by $262 million.<ref name=":0" /> However, the Friedman analysis ignored Portland's $725 million, Seattle's $1 billion, & Tampa's $165 million in direct subsidies to developers calling into question if streetcar economic impact differs from other modes of transportation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=O'Toole |first=Randal |date=June 14, 2012 |title=The Great Streetcar Conspiracy |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2226591 |journal=Cato Institute Policy Analysis No. 699 |via=SSRN}}</ref> The central Omaha transit alternatives analysis was completed in 2014, narrowing down the alternatives to a BRT or streetcar system along Farnam & Harney or a Farnam Contraflow route.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2014 |title=2014 TIGER Application Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis |url=https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318191606/https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=ometro.com |pages=63–167}}</ref> |
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|+2014 Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis Final Screening Summary<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2014 |title=2014 TIGER Application, Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis |url=https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318191606/https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |archive-date= |
|+2014 Central Omaha Transit Alternatives Analysis Final Screening Summary<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2014 |title=2014 TIGER Application, Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis |url=https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318191606/https://www.ometro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TIGER-Appendices-A-F.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2023 |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=ometro.com |page=76}}</ref> |
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! rowspan="3" |Criteria |
! rowspan="3" |Criteria |
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!Alternative 1 |
!Alternative 1 |
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Revision as of 18:53, 23 August 2023
| Omaha Streetcar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Approved | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Omaha, Nebraska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Omaha, Nebraska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stations | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Streetcar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 1380 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planned opening | 2027 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 3.0 mi (4.8 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Streetcar in mixed traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Omaha Streetcar is a proposed streetcar system in Omaha, Nebraska.
History
Background
The Omaha-Council Bluffs streetcar era began operations in 1868. By 1890, the metropolitan area had 90 miles (140 km) of tracks — more than any city except Boston. The Omaha Traction Company was the dominant private streetcar provider of the time; it was engulfed in repeated labor disputes.[1][2] By 1955, the city closed its streetcar system in favor of buses.[3]
Planning and development
In 2009, the City of Omaha and Heritage Services developed a Downtown Omaha Masterplan to improve the Omaha downtown area by 2030.[4] The transportation element of the Omaha Master Plan was completed in 2012, and included a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and other non-car transit as part of the transportation blueprints.[5] In 2013 as part of a central Omaha transit analysis, SB Friedman Development Advisors forecast central Omaha development impacts from improved transit.[6] The Friedman analysis compared streetcar projects from Portland, Seattle, and Tampa to BRT alternatives from Cleveland & Kansas, estimating the streetcar increases development by $1 billion & the BRT alternative by $262 million.[6] However, the Friedman analysis ignored Portland's $725 million, Seattle's $1 billion, & Tampa's $165 million in direct subsidies to developers calling into question if streetcar economic impact differs from other modes of transportation.[7] The central Omaha transit alternatives analysis was completed in 2014, narrowing down the alternatives to a BRT or streetcar system along Farnam & Harney or a Farnam Contraflow route.[8]
| Criteria | Alternative 1 | Alternative 2 | Alternative 2A | Alternative 3 | Alternative 3A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRT | BRT | Streetcar | |||
| Dodge/Douglas Couplet | Farnam/Harney Couplet | Farnam Contraflow | Farnam/Harney Couplet | Farnam Contraflow | |
| RIDERSHIP | |||||
| Ridership | 1,180 passengers | 1,430 passengers | 1,380 passengers | ||
| CAPITAL COSTS | |||||
| Capital Cost
(2013) |
$36,638,000 | $37,196,000 | $42,543,000 | $141,386,000 | $141,724,000 |
| Annualized capital cost | $2,007,000 | $2,037,000 | $2,330,000 | $7,745,000 | $7,763,000 |
| Cost per mile | $6,242,000 | $6,048,000 | $7,102,000 | $42,331,000 | $44,567,000 |
| OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COST (O&M) | |||||
| Annual O&M Cost (2013) | $2,647,486 | $2,681,234 | $6,883,515 | ||
| COST BENEFIT | |||||
| Cost per user | $3.94 | $3.30 | $3.50 | $10.60 | $10.61 |
| RECOMMENDATION | Eliminate | Advance | Advance | Advance | Advance |
During her re-election campaign in April 2017, Mayor Jean Stothert said voters should decide the streetcar's future, hoping to put it on the November 2018 ballot, "I've always wanted the people to be the final decision," the mayor said. "That's nothing different."[10]
Rep. Don Bacon was unsuccessful in obtaining an $8 million earmark for the project in 2021.[11]
In 2022, a revised plan was announced by Mayor Jean Stothert and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's Urban Core Committee.[12] At the December 6, 2022, Omaha City Council meeting a transportation expert who grew up in Omaha expressed the view that the Omaha Rapid Bus Transit (ORBT) is superior to the proposed streetcar line on almost all standard transportation measures: going over three times as far west to serve more potential riders and destinations, faster operating speed, and more trips/day – and at a far lower cost that does not require hundreds of millions of dollars of additional taxpayer capital. The expert went on to show per HDR analysis, that ORBT has two-thirds of the growth development ability of the proposed streetcar in the development corridor under study, and since ORBT was approved for implementation years ago and has been in operation for two years, most of the development potential of the Omaha streetcar has already been achieved.[13] On December 13, 2022, the Omaha City Council approved the issuance of $440 million in bonds to fund the streetcar. $360 million is projected to be paid back with property taxes through tax increment financing, and $80 million from a lease purchase agreement.[14] Subsequently, Investor Warren Buffett, an Omaha resident and owner of Berkshire Hathaway, published a letter to the editor in the Omaha World-Herald to oppose the street project. He cited its cost and inflexibility compared to a bus system.[15]
The streetcar would run on a three-mile (4.8 km) route from Cass to Farnam on South 10th Street, Farnam west to 42nd Street, and back to 10th Street on Harney. The streetcar was originally expected to be operational in 2026, and free for all riders.[16] On June 12th, 2023 streetcar officials stated plans to hire an outside company to run the streetcar, as Omaha has no one capable, and moved the beginning of operations to spring 2027.[17] While future expansions north, south, and west in Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa have been proposed, Omaha city planning stated an alternatives analysis has yet to be completed on any proposal and would take a total of 8 to 10 years once started. [18][19]
See also
- Light rail in the United States
- Streetcars in North America
- Transportation in Omaha
- General Motors streetcar conspiracy
References
- ^ "Militia in Omaha After Fatal Riot". The New York Times. June 16, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "New riots in Omaha; Bricks Bombard Street Cars in Revived Strike Outbreak". The New York Times. June 30, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ Wade, Jessica (January 26, 2022). "After years of stalled attempts, Omaha is on track to build a streetcar". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Jensen, Steven; Bisson, Douglas (February 5, 2010). "Downtown Omaha 2030 Master Plan: Creative Resolution to Unique Challenges" (PDF). newpartners.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Suttle, Jim (2010). "Omaha Master Plan - Transportation Element" (PDF). cityofomaha.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "2014 TIGER Grant Application" (PDF). ometro.com. April 25, 2014. pp. 23–48. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ O'Toole, Randal (June 14, 2012). "The Great Streetcar Conspiracy". Cato Institute Policy Analysis No. 699 – via SSRN.
- ^ "2014 TIGER Application Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis" (PDF). ometro.com. April 2014. pp. 63–167. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "2014 TIGER Application, Appendix A: Benefit-Cost Analysis" (PDF). ometro.com. April 2014. p. 76. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Barth, Taylor (April 10, 2017). "Mayor Stothert calls for vote on streetcar". KETV. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Gaarder, Nancy; Ristau, Reece (June 29, 2021). "Omaha officials sought $8 million for streetcar but didn't get federal earmark". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Total Mobility System - City of Omaha". www.cityofomaha.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "PRESENTATION TO THE OMAHA CITY COUNCIL re THE PROPOSED OMAHA STREETCAR" (PDF). Omaha City Council. December 6, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Journal Record, City of Omaha City Council Meeting, Tuesday, December 13, 2022" (PDF). December 13, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2023.
- ^ Funk, Josh (December 29, 2022). "Warren Buffett breaks local politics vow to say not in my backyard to $306 million Omaha streetcar project". Fortune. Associated Press. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "'Now is the time to do it': City of Omaha aims for operational streetcar system by 2026". KMTV. January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ McLoon, Alex (June 12, 2023). "Another step for Omaha's streetcar: Officials plan to hire private company, unveil regulations for federal sign-off". KETV. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Chapman, John. "Council Bluffs looks to link up with Omaha streetcar route". WOWT. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Derek (December 12, 2022). "Evaluating and identifying future street car extensions" (PDF). City Clerk City of Omaha. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.