Light Rail Extension on the Right Track in Phoenix

"Just five years from now, the Valley’s existing light rail system is scheduled to reach south Phoenix," reports Joseph Flaherty.

According to Flaherty planners and designers are hard at work on final elements like station design and public art, and "a variety of unknowns regarding how construction, increased traffic, and a business upswing may impact the historically underserved community."

Flaherty is reporting on the project as Valley Metro hosts a series of community meetings to gather input on the final phase of the project. Flaherty attended one of the first community meetings, gathering the temperature of residents on the forthcoming work. Final work on the project accelerated after the Phoenix City Council approved $50 million in funding in 2016, and voters approved Transportation 2050, a 35-year transportation plan, in 2015. The federal government provided final environmental clearance for the project at the beginning of 2017.