Wave cost has almost doubled

Abandoning, saving project each has its own set of problems

Fort Lauderdale’s pricey Wave streetcar system just got a lot more expensive, raising questions about whether it will ever be built.

Only a few months ago, officials told critics of the downtown electric streetcar system they were too late to derail the plans, which had already secured $82.7 million in federal money. Construction was expected to begin in early 2018.

Now the Wave’s future is uncertain because contractors want at least $74 million more to build the system than officials had anticipated. That would push the Wave’s total cost to more than $270 million — nearly double the original $142 million estimate for the 2.8-mile route — and require a massive infusion of additional taxpayer dollars to stay on track.

Meanwhile, a new national study questions the wisdom of sinking money into streetcar systems it says are doomed to failure.

The Fort Lauderdale project’s local partners are scrambling to salvage their plan, which has been decades in the making. A meeting Monday to select the winning contractor has been postponed to Nov. 6. The streetcars would travel in a street lane along with other traffic and would have overhead wires for most of their route.

“Everybody I’ve talked to has been surprised at the bid opening,” said Jack Stephens, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which runs Tri-Rail, expressing relief that his office turned over control of the Wave project to the state last year and is no longer responsible for finding ways to cover its rising cost.

“They’ve just got to figure out now what they’re going to do with the project,” Stephens said.