Daytime testing of The Hop streetcar to accelerate
Downtown Milwaukee is about to see a lot more of The Hop as the city’s new $128 million streetcar service begins daytime testing, Mayor Tom Barrett said Friday.
“People who are in the heart of the city will see these cars moving around, and in the weeks ahead they’ll see them even more,” the mayor said.
Barrett and other city officials remind drivers, bikers and pedestrians to be aware of the large new vehicles running on the tracks that have been installed through many parts of downtown. Bikers, in particular, should approach the tracks at a 90-degree angle.
Barrett’s comments came as the last of five 67-foot streetcars was unloaded from a flatbed truck on West St. Paul Avenue. The car was slowly rolled off the truck and onto the track and then moved into the nearby operation and maintenance facility.
During the summer, testing of the streetcars has taken place primarily late at night when there is little traffic.
That’s going to change shortly, as the first batch of drivers have become certified. Running the cars during the day gives the planners an opportunity to see how the various routes will work, said City Engineer Jeff Polenske.
Critics at the state and local level say the city is wasting money by returning to a transportation system that was discarded decades ago. Supporters believe it will be embraced by residents and
workers and contribute to the downtown renaissance.
“I think a lot of minds will be changed and they’ll embrace it,” the mayor said.
Barrett said people would be impressed at “how sleek and how modern it is.”
Grand opening of The Hop is expected in November. Rides will be free for the first year under a $10 million 12-year sponsorship by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
The initial 2.5-mile route for The Hop runs through downtown and the Historic Third Ward between the
Milwaukee Intermodal Station, 433 W. St. Paul Ave., and Burns Commons, at East Ogden and North Prospect avenues.
A lakefront loop is scheduled to open next year. That route runs along East Michigan and East Clybourn streets, between North Milwaukee Street and North Lincoln Memorial Drive.
The streetcar was approved by the Common Council in February of 2015.
Construction of the streetcar project is funded with a $55 million federal grant and money generated by Milwaukee tax financing districts. The $3.2 million annual operating budget will be covered by fares, advertising revenue, federal grants and cash from city parking meters and parking lots.