I thought that, since there will be a lot of transit and transportation news coming with LRT opening next year and freeway and transit plans constantly being highlighted for construction acceleration, I would start a Phoenix transportation thread. If anyone thinks this isn't necessary and should be handled in the Phoenix Development Thread, we can just move it over there.
I'm a civil engineer and am very interested in transit and transportation, so I will do my best to post new developments as I read or hear about them.
Here are three articles from today and a couple days ago from the AZ Republic/azcentral...
Plans link bus routes to stations for light rail
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 16, 2007 12:00 AM
Two years before the first Metro light-rail train rumbles across the Valley, a maze of bus routes connecting to rail stations is planned to boost ridership, curb congestion and reduce air pollution.
The Metro rail will stretch 20 miles from northwest Phoenix to west Mesa, making bus connections from every direction essential.
Valley Metro is adding at least 14 express routes that either will connect to the Metro light-rail line or fill in the gaps until Metro is expanded.
"It still isn't the whole picture for transit in the region. There will be a lot of express-bus investments to connect with the light-rail system," said Stuart Boggs, manager of transit planning for Valley Metro.
The plan puts a premium on boosting service at the Valley's fringes, where little service has existed, he said. It also caters to commuters.
For instance, commuters who live in Mesa could travel to work in Scottsdale, and west Phoenix residents could travel to work in Peoria using the rail line and express buses. A few examples:
• The East Loop 101 express could connect Scottsdale Airpark to a planned transit center at Chandler Fashion Center.
• The West Loop 101 express could connect Peoria to a planned rail station at 79th Avenue and Interstate 10. A light-rail spur is planned to the station.
• The Red Mountain express could run from a park-and-ride lot off Power Road in northeast Mesa to a planned light-rail station on Rural Road in Tempe.
Mesa tentatively plans groundbreaking ceremonies Jan. 27 for the Sycamore light-rail station at Sycamore and Main Street. The city has only one mile of light rail but two, and possibly three, connecting buses are planned. The light-rail system could be expanded to 57 miles by 2026, depending on funding.
Mike James, Mesa's deputy transportation director, said Proposition 400, the extension of a half-cent sales tax approved in 2004, pays for some express buses. Consultant HDR Inc. is expected to release a report to Valley cities on Jan. 29 and some routes eventually may be shifted to improve service, he said.
Governor pledges transit support
Josh Kelley and Mike Walbert
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 13, 2007 12:00 AM
When it comes to relieving Arizona's transportation woes, Gov. Janet Napolitano assured members of the East Valley Partnership on Friday of one solution she opposes.
"I am not a fan of toll roads," Napolitano said to about 300 people at a breakfast at Mesa Community College. "I'll tell you right up front. There's a reason I don't live in New Jersey."
And unlike the Garden State, the population of Arizona is projected to increase by millions over the next 15 years, including Pinal County, which is expected to surpass Pima County as the state's second largest behind Maricopa, Napolitano said.
That's a growth rate the governor said demands smart planning and coordination among government leaders to avert water supply and traffic crises.
The governor received a warm reception at the breakfast, which has become an annual Southeast Valley event held just as the legislative session is beginning.
Napolitano gave a speech in which she named education her top priority and took questions from the audience about the effect of the new minimum wage law on disabled workers, problems with the state's behavioral health services and transportation planning.
In addition to $300 million in state budget surplus money appropriated last year to speed road construction, Napolitano said bonds used to pay for roads should be extended to provide an additional $400 million to further accelerate freeway construction, including projects in the Southeast Valley.
She has also requested that the Arizona Department of Transportation submit proposals to her within 90 days for the possible installation of commuter rail systems or more light rail to alleviate traffic congestion.
Senate Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor, R-Gilbert, who - alongside state Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, - has proposed finding $200 million to devote toward freeway project acceleration, said he wants to examine closely all options that have been floated in recent weeks, including those proposed by Napolitano.
"I don't want to take anything off the table," Verschoor said. "Everything is on the table."
Verschoor also said he is interested to see ADOT's rail study that was ordered by Napolitano.
A vocal supporter of commuter rail, Verschoor said having the governor back a study of that transit option "will add some extra needed weight to it."
Though he describes himself as not a "big fan" of bonding, Verschoor is warm to the idea of extending bonds.
"It's not like we're borrowing money to buy computers," he said.
"You're talking about an infrastructure that 30 years from now we are going to be using it."
However, Biggs, who heads the House Transportation Committee, said he was skeptical of Napolitano's bond proposal. Biggs' preference is to gather acceleration funds from budget areas where roads and highway dollars were diverted previously.
Arizona transportation officials discuss toll road
Associated Press
Jan. 15, 2007 04:25 PM
Establishing a toll road in Arizona would take a lot of time and planning, but doing so may become one of the best ways to pay for new roads in the state, transportation officials said at a recent discussion in Tucson.
They said toll roads are one way to get around and ahead of gas-tax and federal funding shortfalls, and could fund such transportation projects as a bypass allowing some traffic on Interstate 10 to avoid the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas.
"There are discussions going on in Phoenix, statewide and here about doing things differently; tolling is one of those things," said Gary Hayes, executive director of the Tucson area's Regional Transportation Authority.
While state and federal transportation funding are the long-standing sources for money, those sources aren't cutting it anymore, he said.
Priscilla Cornelio, Pima County transportation director, said the county never has enough money to fund transportation improvements. But, she said Maricopa County would be more likely to get a toll road than Pima.
She said the increased congestion and more established freeway systems in Maricopa County, the state's most populous, would make it a better candidate for a toll road.
The Arizona Department of Transportation would consider construction or operation of toll roads only if there was public support for any fees assessed to drivers, as well as support from lawmakers, said department spokeswoman Teresa Welborn.
Stephen Hogan, executive director of a 10-mile toll road near Denver that opened in 2003, said he thinks federal gas-tax money to build roads will be gone within the next five years.
"No one wants to pay a toll, but whether it's a toll or a tax, everybody's paying," he said. "If you do it through an entity that's focused on building a toll road, you'll get it done quicker."
Information from: Arizona Daily Star,
http://www.azstarnet.com