Sure, light-rail construction is painful, but it will be worth it in the long haul
in the Phoenix New Times, 28 December 2006, by Ray Stern. – … Central Avenue has been narrowed to one lane in each direction, the slow-moving traffic guided by thickets of orange-and-white hazard markers… We’ve been bombarded with barricades and signs, shifting lanes, road closures and epic traffic snarls…
Most businesses on the rail-construction line, though hurting, will survive. And it may sound harsh, but even if they don’t, plenty more entrepreneurs are lined up to take their places.
Businesses have had years to plan and prepare for the construction, and they’re getting lots of help. Even critics like [David] Wimberly [of the George & Dragon English Restaurant and Pub] pepper their complaints with praise for the way government officials and the construction companies doing the work act promptly when problems arise…
The strong will not only survive, but — if those who have gone through light rail before are any barometer — will thrive. Eventually.
And the rail line, still slated to start carrying passengers in December 2008, will be a great amenity for the Valley.
