Valley Metro opens latest Phoenix light rail extension Saturday. Here's where
Valley Metro’s newest stretch of light rail will open Saturday after three years of construction, extending along 25th Avenue and over Interstate 17 to northwest Phoenix’s redeveloped Metrocenter area.
The northwest extension is the second phase of Valley Metro’s plan to extend the light rail in that part of town and introduce the system's first elevated station and rail-only bridge over I-17. Running north on 25th Avenue, the 1.6-mile expansion also includes three stations, seven public art installations, a new transit center, and a 4-story park-and-ride garage.
Valley Metro expects the $401 million rail extension to draw in more than 3,000 new daily light rail riders. The line will connect business centers to shopping destinations along 25th Avenue before crossing I-17 and coming to an end at the revamped Metrocenter Mall.
It adds to the 28 miles of existing light rail, which connects Phoenix to Mesa and carries 45,000 riders a day. Across its 38 stations, the rail also provides riders with a variety of local art installations.
As well as connecting riders with more of the Valley, this latest segment of rail also creates a new line of accessibility to the city’s buses. Located on the ground floor of the elevated station, the Thelda Williams Transit Center was named after a long-time light rail supporter and 30-year Phoenix City Council member. She died late last year.
The project took around 670,000 worker hours to build. It involved around 69,000 square yards of asphalt and 16,433 linear feet of steel rails. Funding for this extension came from the voter-approved Phoenix Transportation 2050 plan, as well as regional Proposition 400.
This extension is one of many that were envisioned at the inception of the light rail project in 2000. It's opening comes amid controversies over other extensions. In 2016 Phoenix City Council approved a 2023 opening date for the South Phoenix extension, but the rail is now slated to begin service in 2024.
Following the opening of the first trains in 2008, some expansion projects were either completely scrapped or postponed. Among the many possible extensions, $20 million was used to plan a route to the Arizona State Capitol before the extension was canceled altogether in 2023.
The public is invited to celebrate the extension opening on Saturday. The event will be held at Thelda Williams Transit Center, 9827 N. Metro Parkway E., Phoenix.
An official ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. before the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m.
Service on the new extension will begin Saturday at 10:30 a.m. A community fair will follow, with local business booths, food and entertainment.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Valley Metro opens light rail extension with access to Metrocenter
