Orange County transit agency seeks streetcar construction bids

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board has begun seeking bids for contractors to build the Orange County Streetcar.

The agency earlier kicked off a "pre-qualification process" to establish a pool of potential contractors with the skills required to build a streetcar system. Bids are due in March 2018, and the board is expected to award the construction contract in April.

"We are looking forward to a private-sector partnership that will help bring the vision for Orange County’s first modern streetcar to reality," said OCTA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Johnson in a press release.

The $299 million project will be funded with state and federal dollars, along with revenue from Measure M, Orange County's half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

OCTA's board is pursuing a full funding grant agreement with the Federal Transit Administration to cover nearly half of the streetcar's cost.

The 4.1-mile streetcar line will run from Santa Ana to Garden Grove, California. The route would originate at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center.

Construction is slated to begin in fall 2018, with operations starting in late 2020.