Inquirer: DRPA approves contract for Phila. light-rail studies

Inquirer: DRPA approves contract for Phila. light-rail studies

A waterfront rail line in Philadelphia moved closer to reality yesterday as the Delaware River Port Authority approved a $6.5 million contract for environmental studies and preliminary design.

The work, expected to take about two years, is to prepare the way for a proposed $500 million light-rail line in the middle of Columbus Boulevard between Pier 70 and Girard Avenue.

The line, which could be operated by SEPTA or PATCO, would be designed to improve transportation and spur development on the Philadelphia waterfront. It also would provide service between two casinos planned for the riverfront, Foxwoods to the south and SugarHouse to the north.

A similar $9 million contract was approved last year for preliminary design and environmental studies for a proposed $1.5 billion, 18-mile light-rail extension between Camden and Glassboro.

The Philadelphia trolleys could be running by 2016 if federal funding is available, port authority officials said. A Market Street light-rail line is proposed to connect the waterfront line to Center City.

The no-bid contract approved yesterday would allow the agency to pay up to $6.5 million to Parsons Brinckerhoff, the engineering firm that earlier was awarded a $750,000 contract to evaluate route proposals for the line.

In other business, the board approved a $1.6 million contract for repairs to rail switches, signals, and other equipment in PATCO’s Lindenwold rail yard at the eastern end of the line. The contract went to the Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey Inc. in Paulsboro.

Philadelphia lawyer Kenneth Trujillo resigned from the board, leaving a vacancy in the eight-member Pennsylvania delegation of the agency.

Trujillo, a former city solicitor and an assistant U.S. attorney, cited time conflicts caused by his new role as a member of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. His resignation was effective March 9.