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Sixth Avenue redesign, trolley tracks and catenary work could push project cost; committee hears TBD-fund gap
Summary
HLA’s Sixth Avenue design options presented to City Council include an optional trolley rebuild whose associated catenary and track costs could substantially raise the project price; committee members reported city TBD balances and urged council-level clarity on funding before June 17.
The committee discussed HLA’s Sixth Avenue corridor study and told members the City Council will be asked on June 17 to give direction to engineering on whether to include trolley tracks and related infrastructure in the Sixth Avenue design.
Committee members summarized the consultant findings: a catenary (overhead wiring) replacement between Walnut and River Road was estimated at about $2.1 million by a specialized consultant engaged by HLA; trolley-track construction across the corridor (including work crossing BNSF railroad tracks) was estimated at about $5.9 million; additional related costs (irrigation, water lines, canal underpasses) mean total conceptual project estimates discussed during the council briefing reached into the low- to mid‑tens of millions. Committee members reported an approximate $13 million figure when adding probable extras; the city’s TBD project list presented in a council work session showed Sixth Avenue listed with a $15 million placeholder.
Members discussed potential funding sources: the committee heard that the city’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD) balance was roughly $4.8 million at the time of the council update; annual TBD inflows were described (approximately $1.8 million/year) and could be used to support bonds or match federal funds. Committee members noted that turning Sixth Avenue into an arterial (for example, using paired one-way streets on Fifth and Sixth Avenue) could make the corridor eligible for federal highway funds, which city staff had raised as a possible strategy to cover shortfalls.
Committee members did not make a formal recommendation but asked the council and city engineering for clearer cost breakdowns and funding plans ahead of the June 17 council decision.
