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Yesterday, city of Milwaukee officials and Milwaukee Streetcar project organizers held an open house to review environmental impacts, preliminary engineering and other plans for a downtown streetcar starter system.

The $64.6 million project calls for building a two-mile streetcar line on fixed tracks powered by overhead catenary lines. Streetcars would run from the Milwaukee Intermodal Station through downtown to the city’s lower east side.

Later this month, the Milwaukee Common Council will consider approving the project, including a plan to cover the local funding share via $9.7 million in tax incremental financing. The remainder of construction costs would be covered by a federal grant.

Under the project’s tentative timeline, environmental documentation would be completed in fall; final design would be completed in spring 2012; construction would begin in summer 2012; vehicles would be delivered in summer 2013; construction would be completed in spring 2014; and the streetcars would launch operations in fall 2014.