Arizona Rail Passenger Association

Phoenix activist opposes proposed route for western extension

Arizona Republic, 2010-12-09

A Phoenix man is hoping to derail Metro light rail’s plans to lay track through his neighborhood as part of an 11-mile extension to the city’s west side.

John Maurin, who has lived in the St. Matthew neighborhood north of the state Capitol for all of his 61 years, has attended several public meetings about Metro’s proposal to build the extension on Jefferson Street from Central Avenue, past the Capitol and state buildings, through his neighborhood to Interstate 17, then north to Interstate 10 and west into Tolleson.

…[H]e’s collecting petition signatures to fight the plans….

The current line runs 19 miles through west Mesa, Tempe and central Phoenix. The proposed western extension would connect to the rail at Central Avenue near Jefferson Street, near the CityScape retail and office complex.

Metro wants the western extension to be finished by 2021. Construction would begin in 2015…

Metro plans to hold one or more public hearings about the extension in February. Starting in March, it plans to seek the endorsement of the Phoenix City Council, the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Committee and the Metro light-rail board. The Regional Council for the Maricopa Association of Governments will have the final say.

Rest of the story: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/12/09/20101209phoenix-light-rail-neighborhood-petition.html

COMMENTARY:

Other advocates have called for Metro’s next line to be on Thomas Road, which has the highest ridership bus line in the Valley. Metro is only planning two or three stops along Highway 10 between downtown Phoenix and Route 101 in the west Valley.

METRO Press Release –

Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Review

One opportunity to review is a public meeting on Dec. 10, 2010

METRO and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) report for the Central Mesa extension of light rail on Main Street to Mesa Drive in accordance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The federally-required EA evaluates the potential impacts to the neighboring environment. Many social, economical, and environmental categories were evaluated including noise and vibration, traffic and parking, historical and archaeological resources, and potential impacts related to construction activities.  METRO will take public comments on the draft EA from Nov. 24 – Dec. 24, 2010.  All comments received by Dec. 24, 2010 will be addressed in the Final EA.

The public is invited to attend an open house in which project staff will provide information, respond to questions and receive comments on the Draft EA.

Friday, Dec. 10, 2010
6 – 8 p.m.

OneOhOne Gallery
101 W. Main St., Mesa

Copies of the Draft EA are also available for review at the following locations:

• METRO’s website – www.metrolightrail.org/centralmesa
• METRO’s office – 101 N. 1st Ave., Ste. 1300, Phoenix
• Mesa’s Main Library – 64 E. 1st St., Mesa

For additional information or to submit comments in writing or by phone, please contact:

Robert Forrest, METRO
101 N. 1st Ave., Ste. 1300
Phoenix, AZ, 85003
602-322-4514 phone
rforrest@metrolightrail.org

Jerome Wiggins Federal Transit Administration, Region IX
201 Mission St., Ste. 1650, San Francisco, CA, 94105-1831
415-744-2819 phone jerome.wiggins@fta.dot.gov

An electronic comment form is also available at www.metrolightrail.org/centralmesa.  Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations by contacting Robert Forrest at 602-322-4514/TTY 602-322-4499.

By John J. Gale

Imagine standing in the middle of a freeway as cars, trucks and motorcycles rush by on either side. Maybe you have experienced this if you have waited for a train at an in-median station. I have in LA on the Metro Green Line which is located in the median of Interstate 105 (Century Freeway), and certainly there are such stations in other locations around the country such as Chicago and the Bay Area. It is not particularly fun to wait for a train at these types of station. Now imagine doing that in Phoenix when it’s 110! Read the rest of this entry »

Available here (PDF).

Highlights:

• ARPA Adopts Resolution to Support Daily Sunset Service
• Volunteers Needed: McCormick Park Rail Fair- Scottsdale – Oct. 9 and 10
• CityCircles Web Site for Metro LRT Users
• Light Rail in Freeway Medians?  Not Really a Good Idea by John Gale
• More Volunteers Needed: Let’s Rejuvenate ARPA! by President Rob Bohannan

Talk of the Tempe South expansion plans has been going on since before METRO light rail opened in December of 2008. Since then, we have seen a ton of changes and have seen transit ridership continue to evolve in the area. On September 23rd, METRO will present their “preliminary staff recommendations” for the Tempe South corridor. The Tempe South Transit Study has mentioned Bus Rapid Transit along Rural Road and a Modern Streetcar option at the Mill Avenue District. Originally, the Modern Streetcar was to head South on Mill from the station at 3rd street but a fairly recent idea for a route along Ash Avenue has emerged.

METRO will have a public meeting at MADCAP on the 23rd where people can get more information. Comments about the Tempe South study are appreciated and can be left here. The decisions made during these meetings have long term impact on the entire area so if you have opinions, you should probably pay attention… –  From  RailLife

Public Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
MADCAP Theaters
730 S. Mill Ave., Tempe

NOTE: At the suggestion of ARPA’s Bill Lindley, the Ash Avenue alignment was added.  This will serve the Tempe Depot and future regional rail trains to Wickenburg, Tucson, and Los Angeles.