New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
The RTA is continually investing in major projects that improve and expand our service to our customers. Our most anticipated capital projects concern our new streetcar lines.
The expansion of our streetcar network is not just good for our riders. It’s also good for the city of New Orleans. Streetcar lines bring significant economic development to the neighborhoods they pass through. Simply put, people enjoy riding the streetcar. New streetcar lines tend to bring increased pedestrian traffic to neighborhoods, new retail shops and other businesses, and new housing units.
The RTA is currently in the process of constructing two new streetcar lines:
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Posted April 5, 2012 Streetcar Expansion to detour Bus Routes and Traffic The RTA Loyola Ave Streetcar Expansion will impact bus routes and vehicular traffic, effective April 9 - Summer 2012 for the construction phase between Tulane Ave and Canal St. Impacted Bus Lines | Click here for map information 28-ML King, 39-Tulane, 51,52 St.Bernard, 57-Franklin, 62-Morrison, 63, New Orleans East Owl, 64-Lake Forest Express, 84-Galvez, 88-St.Claude, 100-Algiers Owl, 101-Algiers Loop, 102-General Meyer and 114/115 General DeGaulle. Traffic Flow Alert
These detours and closures are required to facilitate the replacement of a major water line. RTA secured a $45 million federal grant for the streetcar project through the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant program, which funds innovative projects with significant economic and environmental benefits for the surrounding community and region. The project is expected to improve access to the city’s transit network from the Central Business District and reduce travel time between residential areas, employment centers, and major activity centers. It will also promote and support economic development in the area by allowing improved connectivity between convention, tourism, entertainment, energy, and health care and biosciences facilities and enhance livability for Downtown residents. For questions or concerns about the traffic closures, call the Hotline at 1-855-522-5254.
SUMMARY OF WORK FOR APRIL (updated April 24) APRIL 23-27
UPT
Between Howard and Calliope
Howard Intersection
Poydras to Perdido
Perdido to Tulane
Gravier Intersection
Tulane to Canal
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This segment, a little less than a mile long, will run from the Union Passenger Terminal (UPT) down Loyola Avenue to Canal Street.
The UPT is New Orleans’ Amtrak station and next to the city’s Greyhound bus station, so the corridor will serve as a vital bridge between inter-city transit and the local transit system. The segment will connect to the Canal streetcar line while carrying passengers through areas of the Central Business District (CBD) and near the Superdome and the New Orleans Arena. Even though the line isn’t complete yet, it has already attracted new development and the redevelopment of neglected properties along Loyola Avenue.
News Story
Traffic Alerts
Public Files
The 2.5-mile segment will run from Canal Street along Rampart Street (with a spur on Basin Street) along the edge of the French Quarter. As Rampart Street changes to St. Claude Avenue, the line will continue to Press Street in the Bywater. In addition, a segment will turn off St. Claude down Elysian Fields Avenue toward the river at which point it will tie in with the existing Riverfront streetcar line.
More than 70,000 residents live in the medium-density neighborhoods adjacent to the French Quarter corridor. Much of the housing in these areas is affordable, and residents who live in these neighborhoods often find employment in the downtown hospitality industry and in businesses located in the CBD. Connecting these workers to the streetcar system will give them better access to the many employment opportunities available in the French Quarter and the CBD.
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