The Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee motioned to approve the recommended Phase 1 of the I-10 West Light Rail Extension on Wednesday, meaning the long awaited project is one step closer to being completed now with community input.
Marcus Coleman and Deron Lozano, project managers for Valley Metro, discussed their plans involving the new expansion.
“As we know there’s been a lot of change in the downtown area, so it gave us a really good opportunity to relook at this,” Lozano said.
Lozano said the current extension concept includes a full track loop option. The Light Rail will be operating westbound on Washington Street from Third Avenue to the State Capitol Complex, and then east on Jefferson Street.
However, the I-10 West Light Rail Extension plan went through many changes since it was first announced.
The original plan was to create a double track option along Washington Street from Third Avenue, up to the capitol. With the double track option, there was limited flexibility to accommodate bus lanes, bike lanes and traffic lanes.
Other options are still being debated, such as the number of stations on the new route, a Desert Sky Mall extension, and the inclusion of 19th Avenue on the expansion. The current plan was ultimately decided on because of its economic development potential, operational efficiency and easy mobility.
“We have a lot of work to do, you know, this is kind of the first step in revising that thick line on the map to adopt a recommended concept.” Lozano said when discussing the evolving extension plan. “We know we have all these different items that we’re going to really work with the community broker, their project team, to really look at the station locations.”
According to Lozano, public feedback was important to continue and shape the expansion as it advanced. Valley Metro obtained feedback by meeting with stakeholders and government representatives, conducting public meetings, attending community events, and creating surveys.
Two virtual, public sessions about the expansion took place in June with over 1300 people in attendance. A total of 57 people called during those meetings to share their comments about the project.
Valley Metro also conducted online surveys regarding the Light Rail in the spring. The first survey, asking the public which method of transportation they preferred, received 149 responses. The results concluded that 75% prefer taking the light rail, 6% preferred traveling by bus, and 9% had no preference.
Another survey was taken regarding the full track loop extension. There were 183 responses this time. Out of the total responses, 67% liked the new change, 90% felt neutral about the change, and 14% felt negative about the change.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is currently conducting their own safety analysis about how the new light rail project could impact the State Capitol Complex in order to obtain more input on the project.
But the approval of the I-10 West Light Rail Extension, Coleman said, can ultimately pave the way for more upcoming transportation projects in Arizona.
“What we do here in Phoenix is definitely critical to what the West Valley cities plan to do for their transit planning in the future,” Coleman said.
Contact the reporter at mlizak@asu.edu
