'Everybody feels good' about streetcar 'mile' stone

Construction on Cincinnati's streetcar project hit the 1-mile milestone this week.

Rail track has been installed to Race Street and Central Parkway – the first mile of the 3.6-mile loop through parts of Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

Project leader John Deatrick said it's a big deal, considering the contentious political battle over the project temporarily shut down construction in December and work was stalled at times because of the extreme winter temperatures.

"It's a psychological thing – everybody feels good about it," Deatrick said. "We're plugging along."

Track installation for the Over-the-Rhine portion of the route now is almost finished. Rail has been installed from Elm and 12th streets at Washington Park north to Henry Street; then south on Race to Central Parkway. Workers still have to install track along the short east-west block of Henry connecting between Elm and Race.

Work was shut down for three weeks in December as Mayor John Cranley and City Council debated whether to fully cancel the $133 million project. Deatrick said workers still are on schedule for a September 2016 completion, despite the delay and construction being stopped a handful of brutally cold days in January and February.

"We feel confident about that," Deatrick said. "Our schedule put us finishing Race Street by the end of this month."

It remains unknown how much the December delay will add to the cost of the project, but Deatrick said, "We're very, very close to getting the cost of the pause." Independent auditing firm KPMG projected a one-month work stoppage to cost between $1.7 million and $2.8 million.

Streetcar workers are scheduled to be off Monday for Opening Day, but several lanes will remain closed. ■