by bryan | Oct 4, 2014 | light rail expansion
Parker Leavitt, The Republic | azcentral.com July 31, 2014 Two long summers of heavy construction and traffic restrictions along Main Street in downtown Mesa are nearing a close as Valley Metro’s light-rail extension moves toward an anticipated fall 2015 opening. By the end of September, work on the downtown portion of the 3.1-mile extension will be limited to the track area itself, freeing the roadway from lane restrictions, officials said during a July 24 construction tour. For the businesses that have weathered two years of light-rail construction, the light at the end of the tunnel is quickly approaching. Soon, that light will be on the front of trains filled with commuters, tourists and the occasional joyrider. The steel beams of station platforms are starting to rise, and crews have laid much of the track that will take the train cars from the current terminal at Sycamore Street in west Mesa to a new ending point near Pioneer Park and the Mormon temple. Valley Metro will add four stops to the line when the new segment is complete: at Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, Center Street and Mesa Drive. A new park-and-ride is planned at the northeastern corner of Mesa Drive and Main Street. Construction is now about 54 percent complete and moving quickly. Mesa will be home to 3 more miles of light rail by late 2015. Gary Nelson/The Republic A $75 million grant from the federal government is being used to supplement Proposition 400 regional sales-tax funding for the downtown Mesa line, which is expected to cost around $200 million. Another 1.9-mile extension is planned to take the...
by bryan | Oct 4, 2014 | Light Rail Business, light rail expansion
courtesy of Weldon B. Johnson, The Republic | azcentral.com September 10, 2014 Downtown Mesa merchants are suffering through short-term pain for what could be long-term gain. Main Street in downtown Mesa is torn up as the Valley Metro light-rail line expands to the east. As a result, it’s a little harder to get around, but businesses are making the best of the situation. “It hasn’t hurt our business that much,” said Julian Moraga of Gotham City Comics & Coffee. “Our regular customers have been coming and we’re still getting some new ones.” One of the big keys, Moraga said, is that there is still plenty of available parking behind most of the shops. “They have done a good job of promoting that,” Moraga said. “As long as people know there is parking, they will still come.” There are plenty of signs in the downtown area directing potential shoppers and diners to parking. Signs directing drivers to parking in downtown Mesa during Metro light rail expansion construction along Main Street.(Photo: Weldon B. Johnson/The Republic) Valley Metro has its own efforts to draw shoppers into the area affected by light-rail construction. Shop On, Win On is a Valley Metro promotion in which visitors to downtown Mesa can enter to win prizes, including dinners, gift certificates and a shopping spree. There are two prize drawings remaining, on Monday, Sept. 15, and Tuesday, Sept. 30. To enter, shoppers can post pictures from local businesses on Metro’s Facebook or Twitter pages. They also can enter through raffle boxes at Downtown Rendezvous (20 E. Main St.) and Republica Empanada (204 E. First Ave.). Information:facebook.com/valleymetro. New...
by bryan | Oct 4, 2014 | LightRailConnect.com Magazine
Tales will be told by a professional storyteller as you paddle on Tempe Town Lake. Costumes are encouraged, but you might get wet so bring a towel and dry clothes. No kayaking experience is necessary. Participants must be at least 10 years old, and paddlers younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Register online with code 41000. Details: 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. Tempe Town Lake Marina, 550 E. Tempe Town Lake (north shore). $30, $15 for ages 10-17. 480-350-8069,...
by bryan | Sep 27, 2013 | light rail corridor
[courtesy of Metro Lightrail] The construction of the Mesa City lightrail extension is deep...
by bryan | Sep 27, 2013 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion
[By Gary Nelson | The Republic | azcentral.com | Tue Aug 6, 2013] Gas station near light rail called a bad fit Six years ago, after numerous public meetings and untold hours of work, Mesa adopted an award-winning plan to guide development along the west end of its light-rail corridor. Accepted by the City Council by December 2007, the West Main Street Plan aims to ensure that construction will be compatible with urban mass transit. The prescription included a long list of uses to be prohibited near future rail stations, including auto-centric businesses, such as gas stations. Now, however, a gas station is being built near the corner of Alma SchoolRoad and Main Street, within shouting distance of a future light-rail station. Mesa resident David Crummey has been peppering City Hall with protests — to no avail, since last September’s approval by the Planning and Zoning Board for the station’s site plan and use permit was all the permission needed. A subsequent meeting of the Design Review Board evoked promises of extra architectural flourishes, but that board couldn’t veto the overall idea. Crummey prepared a slide show outlining his objections to the gas station, which is tied to a Fry’s supermarket. He e-mailed the presentation to members of the City Council and met this month with members of Mesa’s planning staff to plead his case. “Recently, I noticed new construction at the corner of Alma School and Main,” Crummy said in his presentation. “Thinking it was light-rail-related, I investigated. I found that the new construction was a gas station — a land use that I knew was prohibited near light-rail...
