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Yesterday, Milwaukee officials approved a plan to begin preliminary engineering for a streetcar system. They also released ridership data that shows the city’s two proposed streetcar routes would “measure up nicely in ridership,” when compared with the busiest existing Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus routes, according to a prepared statement.

The 3.6-mile streetcar line is projected to generate daily ridership of 3,800 passengers, a level that exceeds the ridership of all 11 MCTS Freeway Flyer buses and 12 of the 29 MCTS regular trunk routes. A shorter, 2.05-mile route would generate 1,800 riders per day, a level that also exceeds all 11 Freeway Flyer buses and six of the 29 MCTS regular trunk routes, Milwaukee officials said.

The nearly $96 million streetcar line would operate on city streets, be powered by overhead electric wires and connect the downtown area to the lower East Side.