Walsh wins $220.5 million construction contract for Orange County’s streetcar

The board of directors of the Orange County Transportation Authority recently awarded a contract for the construction of the county’s first modern streetcar to Walsh Construction.

Walsh Construction, with a bid of $220.5 million, was selected among four construction firms that met pre-qualification requirements and submitted bids.

The OC Streetcar will run on a 4.1-mile route between commuter rail at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, connecting with several of the county’s busiest bus routes along the way.

The total OC Streetcar project is estimated to cost $407 million, with funding from a mix of federal and state sources, and from Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, also known as OC Go.

In March, the OCTA board approved a $51.5 million contract with Siemens Industries to provide the vehicles for the OC Streetcar system.

The OC Streetcar will operate from the busy Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, along Santa Ana Boulevard and Fourth Street and along the Pacific Electric right-of-way to Harbor Boulevard. The route will also connect with many of OCTA’s busiest bus routes and Metrolink and Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner. It is expected to carry more than 7,300 passengers per day within its first year of operation.

Construction on the OC Streetcar is set to begin later this year with testing and operations beginning in 2021.