by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
Metro Press Release PHOENIX, AZ — Shaded parking has been added to the 20-mile METRO light rail line with the opening of a new park-and-ride lot at 7th Avenue and Camelback Road in central Phoenix. “The new park-and-ride provides greater access to transit and to life along the line,” said METRO CEO Steve Banta. “And it couldn’t have come at a better time with ridership on the rise.” The new lot adds 123 spaces, 62 percent of which are shaded by overhead canopies, to a system that now contains more than 3,600 free-to-use parking spaces for transit riders. The lot was built with neighborhood involvement and provides a well-lit and secure parking environment. It will help to serve the more than 45,000 weekday riders and large weekend crowds. This project was financed using $3.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds provided to METRO by City of Phoenix for use in building this lot and adding shade canopies to existing Phoenix park-and-rides. More than 50 percent of the lots at Central/Camelback and 19th Avenue/Camelback are now shaded. “We are pleased to see that the ARRA program is doing what it intended to do, which was to put people to work on jobs that aided in economic recovery,” commented Federal Transit Administrator for Region 9, Leslie Rogers. “And transit projects play a key role in helping the economy...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
Bryan Watkins July 24, 2011 Light Rail Advisors Did you know that you can now browse hundreds of online jobs near Phoenix light rail? Well, if that is news to you, don’t wait any longer! Why go and search through numerous job site when it is all now in one place. This new feature is smart and always up to date. Jobs in the medical field, business, hotel management, restaurant and many other are going unfilled every day. For more information, click on the link: Jobs near Phoenix light rail Happy Hunting! ...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Gary Nelson – Jun. 24, 2011 The Arizona Republic In a city bloated by rootless newcomers, a city where just a few decades of existence can qualify a neighborhood as “historic,” the Wongs are an anomaly. The family has been doing business at Main Street and Mesa Drive since before Arizona was a state. Supplies from Frank Wong’s tiny grocery store traveled by buckboard to crews building Roosevelt Dam. The legendary movie cowboy Tom Mix is said to have busted broncs in a corral behind the store. But now it seems certain the day is coming when a Wong will no longer turn the key at 410 E. Main St. That probably was going to happen anyway, said former Mayor Willie Wong and his brother, Wilky, who inherited the family property in 1972. They operate Wilky’s Performance Center by themselves, with the exception of one employee. Their children are established in other careers, unlikely to take over the auto-parts store and machine shop. And frankly the Wongs are not getting any younger. The end of the line, however, may come somewhat sooner than the Wongs had anticipated because of another end of the line. That would be the eastern terminus of the light-rail extension that will muscle its way through downtown Mesa over the next five years. Construction is to begin in 2013. A public project that big will inevitably step on a few toes – or land parcels. The approximately $200 million line will require about 40 land acquisitions – some big, some small – to accommodate traffic right-of-way, tracks, stations and other infrastructure. Most would be for only small slivers...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Jim Walsh – Jun. 25, 2011 06:51 AM The Arizona Republic Mormon Church leaders are taking an active role in planning for the day when the Metro light-rail extension reaches the historic Arizona Temple in 2016. A church architect with extensive experience is serving on a committee planning the light-rail extension. A prominent Gilbert bishop and developer has been buying and fixing up small houses near the temple. And that developer, C. Dennis Barney, has donated $40,000 to help Mesa complete an overhaul of its zoning code that will make urban redevelopment easier. His donation comes with no strings attached, and Barney has no proposals before city boards or commissions, city officials say. Barney, a candidate for Maricopa County supervisor, said that he and his late father, T. Dennis Barney, bought the properties to improve the appearance of the area around the temple, which was built in 1927. For many years, it was the only temple in Arizona. Barney said he and his family are not motivated by profit, although he is anticipating there will be redevelopment someday. “We’re not in a rush to do something. It’s been more of a legacy project,” Barney said. “I think we have accomplished what we set out to do already, to a certain extent.” Barney said his donation to Mesa is a good investment because the zoning-code overhaul and light rail will set the tone in the city for decades to come. He looks at himself as a partner of Mesa and the Mormon Church. “If you view the area today compared to, say, 10 years ago, there’s been a lot of progress....
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
John Genovese – Jul. 15, 2011 The Arizona Republic Valley Metro has received the required environmental clearance to allow for its 3.1-mile light rail extension into central Mesa. The “Finding of No Significant Impact” was issued by the Federal Transit Administration after Valley Metro officials were required to submit an environmental impact report to the agency. “This is another significant step toward implementing the voter-approved extension of light rail,” Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said on Thursday. “(The extension) is so important to not only Mesa, but to the entire metro region.” According to a press release, transit officials have spent more than a year reviewing potential property, historic preservation sites, and environmental factors to plan for the rail extension. “This is good news that took a lot of hard work by METRO working closely with the City of Mesa,” said METRO CEO Steve Banta. “It allows us to initiate other key areas of work including utility relocation and real estate acquisition discussions.” The planned extension will be built through downtown Mesa on Main Street, ending at Mesa Drive. The section will include four new stations and a park-and-ride lot. Destinations such as the Mesa Arts Center and Nile Theater will be alongside the new addition. Officials said rail planners are still working to finalize the project design, and the extension is expected to be operational by...
by bryan | Jul 24, 2011 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information, Uncategorized
by Emily Gersema – Jul. 16, 2011 The Arizona Republic Metro light rail held two open houses recently in a neighborhood west of the state Capitol to address residents’ questions about its recommended 11-mile west extension, but turnout was small. The proposal under consideration by Metro’s advisory board involves laying track on Jefferson Street beginning at Central Avenue, then past the Capitol and state buildings to the Black Canyon Freeway. It would proceed north to Interstate 10 and then run west to 79th Avenue. While at one of the open houses on Wednesday, Terry Gruver of Metro light rail said officials have had to use a different tactic to connect with residents in the St. Matthew Neighborhood: walking door to door. To draw residents to the open houses at Neighborhood Ministries, 19th Avenue and Van Buren Street, Metro officials left door hangers at the homes along Jefferson Street from 19th Avenue to the Black Canyon Freeway, Gruver said. The hangers were written in English and Spanish. St. Matthew Neighborhood is the largest residential area that would be affected by the proposal. The rest of the route would parallel freeways. But Metro is facing some difficulties communicating with the St. Matthew neighbors that it did not encounter when proposing the current line, which runs from Phoenix to Tempe and Mesa. The high-poverty St. Matthew Neighborhood, sandwiched by Fillmore and Jackson streets, the Black Canyon Freeway and 19th Avenue, is comprised primarily of renters and some homeowners. Most residents are Latino blue-collar workers, and many of them speak no English. Many do not have computers at home, which for Metro means e-mail updates are ineffective. One neighbor,...
