The proposed alignments for the Columbia Pike streetcar projects. (Courtesy Columbia Pike Transit Initiative.)

Plans to build a streetcar along Columbia Pike by 2016 will be under scrutiny this week, as the Columbia Pike Transit Initiative holds two public meetings to take comments on the idea.

The transit initiative, which is a joint effort of Arlington and Fairfax counties, will present the alternative scenarios for a streetcar project under the federal environmental review required for the project. The localities are working with WMATA on the environmental review.

The meetings are scheduled for tonight in Bailey's Crossroads at 7 p.m. (at the Goodwin House) and for Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Walter Reed Community Center.

The alternatives to be presented include slightly different configurations for the streetcar line, such as whether to end it at the Skyline Towers apartment complex or at the Northern Virginia Community College campus, as well as a "no action" alternative, and a "low-cost" option that skips the streetcar altogether and calls for revamped bus service for Columbia Pike.

Not that the streetcar proposal would ever eliminate bus service along Columbia Pike. The plan envisions a streetcar line along the road that is supplemented by bus service during peak periods, according to a presentation [PDF] made to the project's coordinating committee this fall.

Those last two options are required under the guidelines for Federal Transit Authority funding, according to Jason Mumford, lead consultant for the environmental review. Arlington and Fairfax plan to seek a New Starts/Small Starts grant from FTA for the streetcar line.

The Columbia Pike project may be in luck for the grant, given that the agency announced earlier this year that while it "will continue to consider cost effectiveness for project funding decisions," for the grants,  "increased emphasis will be placed on environmental sustainability, livability, and economic development impact in decision making," according to the transit initiative.

The project's sponsors haven't talked specifics on how much the project will cost yet, but it's safe to say it will be significantly more pricey than ramping up bus service. Both Arlington and Fairfax have already allocated  funding for the  streetcar out of a commercial properties real estate tax set aside for transportation projects.

The public meetings this week are to outline the alternative and seek public comment on the project and the process going forward, according to Mumford. While many camps, including the Arlington County Board, are strongly in support of the project, other stakeholders have voiced concerns that it is too expensive, and won't ultimately relieve congestion on Columbia Pike. These two sides should make for some interesting discussion.

The sponsors are planning to finish the environmental assessment of the project in the second quarter of 2011, and apply for the FTA grant by mid-year. The time line projects that the FTA would give the go-ahead for project development by the end of 2011.