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Seattle mayor wants to move forward with First Avenue streetcar

Seattle's downtown streetcar expansion is back on track after Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Thursday she wants to go ahead with the project despite higher costs.

Durkan paused the Center City Connector last year for a close review of cost overruns.

The city now says it will cost $286 million to build the streetcar and utilities, double the estimate in 2015.

The city still hopes for $75 million in federal funding for the project.

If that comes through, Seattle would need to find another $65 million to go ahead with streetcar construction.

Without federal funding, the city would need to budget another $140 million.

Durkan said it's too soon to know where extra city money will come from.

She says the consultant's review made clear an expanded streetcar line is the best way to move people on First Avenue, just blocks from a remade waterfront.

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"When we get this waterfront done we want to have a connected community in Seattle and I believe that having a streetcar that can take people from the (Pike Place) Market to MOHAI or to Wing Luke will connect communities," Durkan said.

The city council would need to sign off and there's a long review for federal funding.

That's why the mayor's office doesn't anticipating starting construction until 2022, with service by 2026.

Because the city bought streetcars that are longer and heavier than the current ones, it will cost up to $17 million to reinforce old bridges at Jackson Street and modify station platforms.

Transit advocates and downtown businesses lobbied hard for the streetcar.

"I think this is another smart decision by the mayor when it comes to transportation,"  said Jon Scholes of the Downtown Seattle Association. "We've got two streetcar lines today, they don't connect, there's a gap in the middle. It makes all the sense in the world to connect these two lines."