by bryan | Oct 4, 2012 | light rail expansion
Courtesy of AZCentral.com Nothing is in concrete yet, but Mesa is beginning to get a clearer picture of the possible timing and costs for what seems an ever-more-likely extension of light rail to Gilbert Road. About 50 people got up to speed on the project during a meeting Tuesday night at Mesa Church of Christ, just a block south of where the future tracks would transform the intersection of Main Street and Stapley Drive. Work already has begun on 3.1 miles of new track from the Sycamore Street station to just west of Horne Street; service on that leg is expected to begin in late 2015. The extension to Gilbert Road would be another 1.7 miles. Howard Steere, community relations manager for Metro light rail, said the agency would like to begin building the next extension the minute it wraps up work on the first. “We’re going to work hard to make that happen,” he said, “but that’s a very aggressive schedule to try to accomplish.” Much depends on funding. Jodi Sorrell, Mesa’s acting transit director, said the City Council is expected to begin looking at the money issue late this year. “It could be kind of complicated,” Sorrell said. Marc Soronson, project manager for the Gilbert Road extension, said light rail is currently costing $60 million to $80 million a mile. The Gilbert Road extension will be on the low end of that range, he said, if planners decide to restrict vehicular traffic to one lane in each direction. If Main Street must be widened to accommodate not only the tracks but four lanes of traffic, Soronson said...
by bryan | Oct 4, 2012 | News & Information
Courtesy of Metro Light Rail Phoenix, AZ (Sept. 24, 2012) Valley Metro wants to know if you are up to the challenge of sharing your ride at least once a week in the month of October. Employers, local residents and anyone that makes a regular drive to work or school is asked to consider alternative travel options next month. “Sharing a ride is beneficial on so many levels,” said Dawn M. Coomer, Valley Metro Business Services Manager. “You can add minutes or hours to your day and arrive at your destination less stressed.” Considering vehicle fuel and maintenance costs, limiting the drive alone trip just one day a week can help save up to $70 a month. According to regional air quality experts, 49 miles of vehicle travel creates one pound of pollution. With an average Valley daily commute of 32 miles, using alternative modes can reduce ground-level ozone and the additional churn of particulate matter or dust particles from vehicle use. Western Refining employee, Mary Korba, says that joining a Valley Metro vanpool has been an exceptionally positive experience. “Not only am I saving money and time, I have developed lifelong friendships,” says Korba. “In fact, I met my husband while riding in a Valley Metro van. I guess you could say that spending quality time together twice each day has really paid off.” Rideshare Month is an annual county-wide event that encourages the use of alternative commute options, public transit, carpools, vanpools or bicycling to help reduce emissions from vehicle use, decrease congestion and conserve energy. Here are the ways local residents and employers can participate in Rideshare...
by bryan | Oct 4, 2012 | light rail expansion
Courtesy of Metro Light Rail PHOENIX, AZ — Construction of light rail is back on the move in Phoenix, AZ with the re-launch of the Northwest extension along 19th Avenue from the current end-of-line north 3.2 miles to Dunlap Avenue. The project has received approval to accelerate the completion year from 2023 to 2016. Final design is underway; construction will begin in early 2013. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton says many in the city have been looking forward to the project beginning again, “Speaking on behalf of the residents and passengers, I know there is much anticipation to add light rail service to the highly-used bus service along this route. This project is an investment in the community I believe in and will prove to be a great benefit with its completion.” The Northwest extension was initially set to open this year; however, in 2009, the economic downturn and decline in local sales tax revenue forced the project on hold. With its postponement, the project was pushed out to a 2023 completion year. The positive strides in the economy, expected boost from the building of this extension and local willpower have helped to advance it by seven years. This project is one of six high-capacity/light rail extensions being planned for or in active construction in the metro Phoenix region. It will extend rail service farther north into Phoenix, capturing new riders, serving high-density neighborhoods and getting closer to the Interstate 17 freeway and its employment centers. “It’s an exciting time as we further expand into Phoenix, providing our customers with greater access to transit and choice in how they travel,”...
by bryan | Oct 4, 2012 | Uncategorized
Courtesy of Metro Light Rail Look out! Fares may increase in 2013. Proposed fare increase for March 1, 2013 Valley Metro is considering a fare change that would increase fare revenue to support operations and create greater equity in the fare structure. A fare increase is necessary to preserve service. The cost of transit operations continues to rise and fare revenue must keep pace. Regular adjustments will be required into the future in order to keep cost and revenue in the appropriate balance and service on the street. This fall, Valley Metro will continue to seek public comment on a revised fare increase proposal that is recommended for implementation on March 1, 2013. The public comment period is open now through November 3, 2012. Open houses and a public hearing will occur between October 22 – November 1. Background In fall 2011, Valley Metro initiated a public outreach process for a proposed increase of $.25 to the base fare, taking a single ride fare from $1.75 to $2.00; an Express/RAPID single ride from $2.75 to $3.00. With every fare increase proposal, a federally-required analysis must be conducted to ensure all riders continue to have equal access and pay equally for transit service. This fall, Valley Metro will continue the public outreach process with a revised fare increase proposal that would allow Express/RAPID riders to more equitably share in the cost of operations. The new proposal would take an Express/RAPID single ride fare from $2.75 to $3.25, an additional $.25 from the proposal in fall 2011. Fare increases and service reductions are occurring across the country; a shortfall in revenue is not...
by bryan | May 30, 2012 | light rail expansion
courtesy of Sean Holstege The Republic | azcentral.com Valley Metro is set to break ground today on the first light-rail expansion, a 3.1-mile stretch into downtown Mesa that city leaders hope will bring a sorely needed economic boost. The $200 million extension is expected to attract thousands more East Valley riders daily and potentially nurture new development along the line. Mesa’s hopes reflect a broader optimism among Valley transit planners. After delaying and scaling back projects during the recession, they see new signs of life for efforts to build out the system. “I’m encouraged right now. We were concerned because of the economy, and we had to slow down the program. But now, we may have three active projects under construction within a year,” said Wulf Grote, Metro planning director. The other two are a Tempe streetcar line and a northwest Phoenix light-rail extension. Two years ago, regional planners scaled back and postponed light-rail and freeway projects because the main source of funding, a half-cent-per-dollar sales tax approved by voters in 2004, was bringing in far less revenue than anticipated. Two light-rail lines in northeast and northwest Phoenix were deferred indefinitely. Now, with the economy picking up, the Maricopa Association of Governments last week moved up the starting date for the northwest extension. The Mesa project is ahead of schedule by months and could be open in a little more than three years. By 2016, it’s possible that the light-rail system will extend from 19th and Dunlap avenues in northwest Phoenix to downtown Mesa, a distance of 26 miles. It also would have a connection to the Sky Train people-mover...
by bryan | May 2, 2012 | light rail expansion
courtesy of Gary Nelson – May. 2, 2012 The Republic | azcentral.com The first inklings of light-rail construction will appear along Main Street this month. Traffic restrictions can be expected as workers prepare to move utility lines between Sycamore Street and Mesa Drive. Work this month will include verifying the location and depth of underground utilities that need to be moved, and some surveying. The first phase of actual construction, moving the utility lines, is expected to begin in June, after a ceremonial groundbreaking on May 30. The approximately $200 million, 3.1-mile extension is being funded by federal grants and a county transportation sales tax that voters approved in 2004. It is expected to begin carrying passengers in late 2015, a key element in Mesa’s ambitious efforts to transform its downtown into a multifaceted urban community. Early planning already is under way to run the tracks another 2 miles east, to Gilbert Road, but money for that hasn’t been allocated and there is no projected timeline. Metro light rail has appointed Lisa Procknow as community outreach coordinator for the Mesa project. She’s available at 602-495-8213, 623-533-1352 or lprocknow@metrolightrail.org. ...
by bryan | Mar 25, 2012 | Uncategorized
courtesy of Emily Gersema – Mar. 23, 2012 The Republic Ashley Hardee, 29, prides herself on keeping a tight rein on her energy usage. She lives and works in downtown Phoenix, doesn’t use much gas and now she’s making sure every potential leak in her house is either stemmed or stifled to reduce her utility bills and energy waste. This week, she participated in a well-touted but little-known program, Energize Phoenix, which aims to help homeowners and businesses within a 10-mile area of central and downtown Phoenix improve their homes’ energy efficiency and reduce electricity usage. Her condo’s air-conditioning and heating system seemed efficient, “but it’s really my back bedroom that gets hot,” she told David Byrnes, an environmental engineer with Phoenix-based Green Integrated Design, who on Monday checked the windows and doors in her condo for air leaks. Although Hardee paid $99 for the assessment by Byrnes, she is getting a $99 rebate from the Energize Phoenix program. Managed by the city, Arizona Public Service and Arizona State University, Energize Phoenix has not been as electrifying for residents as it has been for businesses despite the potential benefits of reduced energy usage and lower utility bills. Phoenix has spent an estimated $9.1 million of the $25 million in grant funds it received for the program in April 2010, according to a federal website, www.recovery.gov, that tracks spending of stimulus funds. Most of the grant money spent in Phoenix has benefited businesses in the special corridor. Homeowners have been a more difficult target, said a Phoenix-area marketing agency, DRA Communications, which was hired to aid the city with marketing...
by bryan | Jan 19, 2012 | News & Information, Real Estate Development, Transit Oriented Development
by Jim Walsh – Jan. 20, 2011 Courtesy of The Arizona Republic Editor’s Note: Light Rail Connect promotes Live, Work and Play in the light rail corridor. Transit Oriented Development will play an important role in the light rail corridor. A planned investment fund may help create a taste of urban living similar to that of Boston or New York without leaving the Arizona sunshine. The $30 million Sustainable Communities Development Fund would create incentives to build affordable housing along the Metro light-rail line in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix. Projects funded by the incentives would feature transportation-oriented development, a high-density concept that generally features retail and commercial development on the lower floors with residential units on the upper floors. “We want to work with our non-profit partners to create a pipeline of projects,” said Teresa Brice, a Mesa native and former mayoral candidate who is among the fund’s chief sponsors as executive director of the Local Initiatives Support Corp. “We call this inventing a Plan B for the Valley of Sun,” she said, offering residents an alternative to the urban sprawl that has contributed to poor air quality and long commutes on jammed freeways. The fund would help Mesa capitalize on the extension of Metro’s light-rail line and potentially aid in redevelopment efforts near the city’s only station at Sycamore and Main Street. With the exception of Mekong Plaza, an Asian-themed shopping center that is barely visible to light-rail riders, redevelopment has lagged near the Mesa station, which still has several boarded-up buildings nearby. Mesa has only 1 mile of light rail, but a 3.1-mile extension is scheduled to open along Main Street...
by bryan | Jan 19, 2012 | light rail corridor, light rail expansion, News & Information
Gary Nelson – Dec. 6, 2011 Courtesy of The Republic | azcentral.com Editor’s Note: Light Rail Connect promotes Live, Work, Ride in the light rail corridor. Fortified by hot coffee and a $35 million federal grant, Metro Light Rail kicked off the next leg of construction Monday with a promise to open the downtown Mesa leg a year early. Monday’s event at the doorstep of the Mesa Arts Center served chiefly to unveil signs that will mark the 3-mile extension from Sycamore Street to east of Mesa Drive. Actual work in the form of utility relocation won’t begin until spring. But Steve Banta, CEO of Metro Light Rail, made news when he told the shivering crowd, “Our desire is to deliver the project a little bit early. We’d like to deliver it at the end of 2015.” That would be seven years after Mesa celebrated the opening of its busy Sycamore light-rail station on a December day that was even more blustery than the inhospitable weather that greeted Monday’s crowd. “We are here today to stake our claim on the extension of Mesa light rail down to the center city,” Banta said. The extension, he said, “is progressing very well” with local funding in hand and last month’s congressional approval for about half of what the federal government is expected to kick in. Banta said Metro continues to work with merchants along the extension to help their businesses survive construction. “We will work hand in hand with them to minimize that impact,” he said. Mike James, Mesa’s transit director, said there will be traffic disruptions when crews begin infrastructure work along the...
by bryan | Nov 8, 2011 | Restaurant
New restaurant provides new location for lunch Wynder’s Dogs is a new restaurant and fresh face to the Central Ave and Camelback neighborhood in uptown Phoenix. Right across from the Landmark Condos. Never heard of them, you say? Well, why not change that this week! Opened just this September, the restaurant features a hot dog style I had never seen before- a hot dog that is cut like a slinky. Besides looking very different and long, it gives a better flavor and provides more surface area to pile all the toppings and condiments on. Yummy! Located at 4727 N Central Avenue just a few blocks south of Camelback, it is as you would expect. Simple but clean, friendly owners and fast service. You can find them at www.wynderdogs.com as well as Facebook. The owners are locals…Mark and Phelisha, a partnership that is pushing to succeed. Mark has worked in the catering business for many years and brings the kitchen experience, while Phelisha attended ASU and graduated with a B.S. in Business to help with of course, the business end! Phelisha explained that her family operated a hot dog business for many years in Phoenix, and she grew up working and learning the business. The menu includes the standard delicious Wynder Dog, as well as ChedderWynder, Chili Wynder, and Chili/Cheese dogs. All dogs are made from vienna beef. Also on the menu are 100% Angus beef burgers, and for the lean non-beef food lovers, Turkey burgers. Maybe you just want something lite- then you can choose from a Chef Salad, Turkey Club, BLT. Hot temperature day? Stop in for a...
