The federal government will soon be helping city-parish officials bring together Baton Rouge residents, real estate developers, philanthropic foundations and land-use experts to identify ways to bring an idea for a streetcar line along Nicholson Drive to fruition.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced today that Baton Rouge is among seven U.S. cities that will receive technical assistance via the department’s new LadderSTEP pilot program. The assistance does not come with any funding. The six other cities to receive assistance through the pilot program are Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Richmond, Virginia.
“The Nicholson Drive corridor is poised to be completely transformed by the transportation and development projects we have in the works, and this technical assistance means the U.S. Department of Transportation recognizes its potential,” says Mayor Kip Holden in a prepared statement. “As we develop the new streetcar line on Nicholson and implement our Complete Streets standards, their assistance will not only provide valuable support but is critical to its success.”
The idea for a streetcar between the LSU campus and downtown Baton Rouge is part of the FuturEBR master plan, and it was initially announced in early 2014. Since then, city-parish officials have been working to identify possible funding sources.
