Streetcar Tracks Left Hanging in Mid-Air
A construction oversight by the Milwaukee Road leaves Tacoma streetcars stranded on a jagged, three-foot cliff at East D Street.
Manager Dimmock of the Tacoma Railway & Power Company was notified by Commissioner McGregor today to lower the tracks of the McKinley Park line at East D Street. The Milwaukee Railroad cut this street three feet deep for their own project, which leaves the tracks of the street railway suspended in the air, making travel across the tracks impossible for commuters.
“This leaves the tracks of the street railway up in the air and makes travel across the tracks impossible.”
This early 20th-century infrastructure conflict between private rail companies reflects the growing pains of a rapidly industrializing Tacoma. Today’s struggles with urban density and transit accessibility in districts like McKinley Hill mirror these same municipal battles over public space and corporate accountability.
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