The Examiner yesterday brought us the unfortunate news that Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham is putting a temporary kibosh on the long-planned first phase of DDOT’s streetcar plans. The first stage of the plan – noted as “Anacostia Phase 1” on the map to your right – would link Bolling Air Force Base to Anacostia Metro station. The line’s a vital part of the District’s long-term plans to connect the majority of Southeast to the rest of the city.

But Graham, whose concerns about the streetcar line “run pretty much the gamut from A to Z,” is calling for the Council to put off approving $11 million for the construction of the line, which would come out of funds already appropriated for the 11th Street Bridge project. As local development blog BeyondDC asks, “why now?“:

It’s hard to tell whether Graham is stalling because he doesn’t understand the benefits of streetcars in general or only has questions about the Anacostia line specifically. It’s possible he has no objections and just wants to look democratic by holding a public meeting. We don’t know, but in any event, getting streetcars up and running is the single most important issue in District transportation planning…

DDOT spokesperson Karyn Le Blanc noted that DDOT had been “anticipating beginning work in the fall” on the Anacostia line, and that the construction was projected to take about 18 months to complete – but for now, that’s on hold pending the outcome of Graham’s planned July 14 public hearing.

This isn’t the first time the project’s experienced delays – back in December 2006, it was thought that a plan involving the old CSX rail would be operational by the fall of 2007; obviously, that didn’t happen.

Map taken from National Capital Planning Commission’s approval of the first Anacostia streetcar segment. PDF.