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Issue: 1257 Date: 9/25/2014
Become A Fan, Like St. Louis Chinese American News
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Loop Trolley hits speed bump with high project bids
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Several bids that came in higher than anticipated will delay construction of the Loop Trolley for a month or two, said Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill restaurant and chairman of the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District.
Edwards said he doesn't consider the delay to be too big a road block.
"I think it's probably pretty standard for transportation projects like this in our city or other cities," he said. "If anything, it will slow things up for one or two months."
Edwards did not disclose which projects had bids that came in high. He said additional bid packets, which better describe the project, have been sent out and new bids — that he's hopeful will be more in line with what officials were expecting to pay — will be received in six to eight weeks.
Edwards said the trolley is still on track to be completed by spring 2016, with the public able to ride the trolley by the following summer.
In May, The Loop Trolley Transportation Development District received approval from the Federal Transit Administration for a $25 million grant to build the $43 million Loop Trolley in the city of St. Louis and University City.
The 2.2-mile Loop Trolley will run along Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue, connecting The Loop entertainment district to Forest Park with a stop at the Missouri History Museum.
Now, Edwards said, utility companies like Ameren and AT&T are working to prepare for future construction that would install the trolley tracks down the middle of Delmar Boulevard.
Trolley construction will also pave the way for the Loop Data Rail, an initiative that is looking to bring fiber-speed Internet connection to a two-mile stretch of the Delmar Loop. That project has a $1.4 million budget and is funded by stakeholders and building owners in The Loop. It is expected to follow the same construction timeline as the Loop Trolley. |
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