Deal OKd for streetcar construction

THE ROUTE of the planned OC Streetcar linking Santa Ana to Garden Grove (OCTA graphic).

The planned OC Streetcar project rolled along through the council chambers Tuesday night as the Garden Grove City Council unanimously approved a cooperative agreement with the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Tuesday’s action clears the way for a deal with the OCTA for the construction phase of the streetcar line, a 4.1-mile route from the Santa Ana Civic Center area west to follow streets until it picks up the old Pacific Electric right-of-way. It would terminate at a new transit facility in Garden Grove on Harbor Boulevard north of Westminster Avenue.

The agreement will have Garden Grove providing inspection and reviews on city-owned facilities such as sidewalk, roads and traffic signals and also will cover coordination with OCTA staff. Cost of the agreement – estimated to be at $87,504 – will be reimbursed monthly by the OCTA from the beginning of the agreement to one year after the streetcar is in service.