Comment on Obama proposes $75 million grant to build Center City Connector streetcar line

The Obama administration, in its proposed 2017 budget, has included a $75 million grant for the city's Center City Connector project, which would create a streetcar line through downtown Seattle. "With these critical grant funds, we can connect our South Lake Union and First Hill lines and create a far-reaching streetcar system for Seattle," Seattle Department of Transportation director Scott Kubly said in a statement. The project would, however, prolong and extend the system of construction obstructions created by the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement, the rebuilding of the Seattle Seawall, and endless Mercer Street work. But the $75 million grant would cover more than half of the project's estimated $135 million cost. The city has two streetcar lines, the South Lake Union route (popularly known as the South Lake Union Trolley or S.L.U.T) and the newly opened route that climbs First Hill and proceeds down Broadway. The First Hill Streetcar was originally supposed to open in 2014.