The tracks are in, new signs and traffic signals are being installed, and the street is being striped in its new configuration. With so much now in place, a person can almost see the streetcar cruising down Broadway. The imaginary streetcar in the photo above will become a reality in 2014.
Although the end is in sight, there is still much work to be done. Broadway will be closed to through traffic between Denny Way and East Pine Street the weekend of July 20 for repaving. Sidewalk improvements are underway, and work on a new cycle track for bicyclists is about to begin.
When service begins in 2014, the First Hill Streetcar will have ten stations along a two and one-half mile route from South Jackson Street and Occidental Avenue South to Broadway and Denny Way, serving Pioneer Square, Chinatown/International District, Little Saigon, First Hill and Capitol Hill.