There is a lot to like in the Harbor Line proposal that the transit authority unveiled last week. Dedicated lanes on Front Street, signal priority through the Fifth Avenue corridor, and a fare structure that finally treats the ferry as part of the same system. We said as much in this space two years ago, and we are glad to see it on paper.
What we cannot take seriously is the date. The authority says the line will open in 2029. It has not acquired the Front Street right of way, has not completed environmental review, and has a funding plan that depends on a federal grant program that has not had a funding round since 2024.
Ask for a schedule, not a date
The council will be asked to endorse the plan in December. It should, but with a condition: a milestone schedule with public reporting, so that residents can see whether the project is on track long before a ribbon cutting is scheduled and quietly moved.
Harbor City has been here before. The Eastside connector was announced for 2015 and opened in 2022. Nobody was held to account because nobody had been asked to commit to anything measurable. Let us not do that twice.
