A series of changes have been proposed for the expansion of light rail transit service into Cambridge – including moving the line away from a street where many residents had said they didn’t want anything to do with it.

The new preliminary proposed route, which was made public on Friday and based on feedback to the previous proposal, is estimated to cost $1.36 billion, assuming construction occurs between 2026 and 2028 – or about $100 million more than the estimate for the previous route proposal

It physically differs from the previous top candidate in four ways.

Starting in the west, the new proposal calls for the light rail line to parallel the south side of Highway 8 through the Freeport area and over the Grand River, instead of using King Street East to move through that part of Kitchener. The line would then run along King Street East through the Sportsworld area and down Shantz Hill, as has long been planned.

The second change would see the route shift slightly northward at the bottom of Shantz Hill. Instead of meeting Eagle Street South at Moore Street, as in the initial plan, vehicle would travel closer to the Speed River before hitting Eagle near King Street.

The previous plan called for vehicles to then stay on Eagle for most of the trip out to Hespeler Road. Under the new proposal, they would use an existing rail corridor to travel north of Eagle, crossing over near Industrial Road.

The final change comes near the end of the extension, with planners recommending that vehicles bypass much of Beverly Road in favour of an existing rail corridor.

Regional officials say the new proposed route reduces the number of properties impacted by the LRT expansion from a maximum of 260 to a maximum of 220, and the number that will require a full buyout from a maximum of 120 to a maximum of 60.

Much of the opposition to the previous route had been focused on Eagle Street North, with some property owners worried they would lose some or all of their properties to the light rail line.

Three open houses have been scheduled for people to offer feedback on the new proposed route. They run May 8 to May 10, all between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The first takes place at the Holiday Inn on Fairway Road in Kitchener, the second at the Preston Memorial Auditorium, and the third at the Hamilton Family Theatre.

A finalized route for the extension could be approved by 2019.