Phoenix’s $1.34 billion South Central Extension and downtown hub has opened to riders after quite a few delays and years of development, the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority introduced on June 7.
The 5.5-mile southward extension is projected so as to add 8,000 riders per day to the 35-mile gentle rail system, per Valley Metro. The venture allows the system to function two strains as an alternative of a single, L-shaped line: the north-south B Line that features the extension, and an east-west A Line from downtown Phoenix to Mesa, Arizona.
Omaha, Nebraska-based contractor Kiewit constructed the extension, which can allow trains to run extra ceaselessly, in response to Valley Metro. With eight new stations, the system now includes a complete of 48 stops.
Non-obligatory Caption
Courtesy of Valley Metro
“The completion of this venture marks an necessary new connection for residents and strikes us nearer to our targets as a sustainable and accessible metropolis,” mentioned Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego within the launch. Gallego additionally mentioned extra gentle rail growth initiatives stay a precedence, ABC 15 reported.
The venture scope additionally included a brand new park-and-ride facility and a transit hub downtown, in response to Valley Metro. Crews put in enhanced bike lanes, pedestrian pathways, bushes and desert-adapted landscaping and carried out greater than 30 miles of underground infrastructure and utility upgrades. The extension options 18 artwork installations, made primarily by native creatives.
Federal grants supplied greater than half the venture funding, alongside Phoenix Transportation 2050 and regional Proposition 400 investments, in response to Valley Metro.
The venture was hard-won. Planning started in 2012 and design work began in 2017, adopted by the launch of development in 2019. Work was presupposed to wrap in 2023, however a mixture of things delayed the opening: the COVID-19 pandemic, unanticipated utility relocations and a poll initiative from venture opponents.
In 2020, Phoenix voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure, which might have halted this and different gentle rail growth initiatives and hobbled town’s capability to spend money on rail, Trains.com reported.
Phoenix’s $1.34 billion South Central Extension and downtown hub has opened to riders after quite a few delays and years of development, the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority introduced on June 7.
The 5.5-mile southward extension is projected so as to add 8,000 riders per day to the 35-mile gentle rail system, per Valley Metro. The venture allows the system to function two strains as an alternative of a single, L-shaped line: the north-south B Line that features the extension, and an east-west A Line from downtown Phoenix to Mesa, Arizona.
Omaha, Nebraska-based contractor Kiewit constructed the extension, which can allow trains to run extra ceaselessly, in response to Valley Metro. With eight new stations, the system now includes a complete of 48 stops.
Non-obligatory Caption
Courtesy of Valley Metro
“The completion of this venture marks an necessary new connection for residents and strikes us nearer to our targets as a sustainable and accessible metropolis,” mentioned Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego within the launch. Gallego additionally mentioned extra gentle rail growth initiatives stay a precedence, ABC 15 reported.
The venture scope additionally included a brand new park-and-ride facility and a transit hub downtown, in response to Valley Metro. Crews put in enhanced bike lanes, pedestrian pathways, bushes and desert-adapted landscaping and carried out greater than 30 miles of underground infrastructure and utility upgrades. The extension options 18 artwork installations, made primarily by native creatives.
Federal grants supplied greater than half the venture funding, alongside Phoenix Transportation 2050 and regional Proposition 400 investments, in response to Valley Metro.
The venture was hard-won. Planning started in 2012 and design work began in 2017, adopted by the launch of development in 2019. Work was presupposed to wrap in 2023, however a mixture of things delayed the opening: the COVID-19 pandemic, unanticipated utility relocations and a poll initiative from venture opponents.
In 2020, Phoenix voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure, which might have halted this and different gentle rail growth initiatives and hobbled town’s capability to spend money on rail, Trains.com reported.
