FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved plans for a streetcar line along Columbia Pike, a week after Arlington County took the same action.

The 7-2 vote on Tuesday was needed for the two counties to apply for federal money that could cover about a third of the project’s estimated $246 million construction cost. The five-mile line would run from Fairfax’s skyline area to the Pentagon City Metro station.

Officials believe the line will help revitalize the Bailey Crossroads area and ease commuter traffic on the Columbia Pike corridor.

However, several details of the project must still be worked out and it could be years before the streetcars are operational.

Two Fairfax supervisors who voted against the plan say the cost of is too high.\

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