Metro Phoenix Transit/Transportation Developments

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

Yes, that's what we really need. I'd love to see that done on Fillmore between Central and 7th Street. The green lanes and sharrows there are a start, but given the relatively low volume of traffic on Fillmore, we would take away a travel lane on each side without inducing carmaggedon. It would then become a protected corridor connecting ASU Downtown to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Yeah that is one positive thing going for Phoenix. The huge thoroughfares are perfect for road diets with either BRT or dedicated bikeways.

The problem with other cities around the country is that they have limited space on their arterial road networks to eliminate lanes and install this type of infrastructure.

I'm thinking of longer distances though and not just within the downtown community.

[N830MH]

Downtown Phoenix's light-rail hub: 3 new stations, closure of block of Central Avenue

New light-rail stations connecting the current line with future lines that will go south and west are coming to downtown Phoenix, creating a centralized transfer hub for Valley commuters.

The Phoenix City Council last month approved building two additional stations west of Central Avenue on Washington and Jefferson streets, as well as permanently closing the block on Central between those streets to passenger vehicles.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...ure/782017001/

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Downtown Phoenix's light-rail hub: 3 new stations, closure of block of Central Avenue



http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...ure/782017001/

Pretty interesting, I hadn't realized they were going to close Central to cars between Jefferson and Washington. Sounds cool.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by muertecaza

Pretty interesting, I hadn't realized they were going to close Central to cars between Jefferson and Washington. Sounds cool.

Yeah but sounds like they won’t be able to have any more events on that block anymore which is a bummer. The skating rink, movie nights, concert stage for Viva PHX which was awesome

[fawd]

The closing of Central Ave for the creation of a transit hub at Cityscape is a MAJOR deal. Right up there with DT finally getting a grocery store in terms of long-term benefits.

Could really be a driver for new office developments in the area.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by fawd

The closing of Central Ave for the creation of a transit hub at Cityscape is a MAJOR deal. Right up there with DT finally getting a grocery store in terms of long-term benefits.

Could really be a driver for new office developments in the area.

Might as well retire central station if cityscape will become the new center of downtown.

Its closer to the Train station if the commuter lines ever get built anyway.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Might as well retire central station if cityscape will become the new center of downtown.

Yes, they will be retired soon. This is where they used to be. This is for Valley Metro Transit.

[combusean]

I had been searching for an update to the Phoenix Northeast light rail extension from the mainline to Paradise Valley Mall given that T2050 had the connection from parts closer to the northern terminus.

Valley Metro has begun to address the issue in updated maps and potential alternatives.

http://www.valleymetro.org/projects_...tail/northeast

Porque no los dos?

I wish the car dealerships weren't there that would make extending the line eastward from Camelback impractical. Maybe there's some weird future in there where mixed use developments include dealerships and service centers for urban gearheads.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by combusean

I had been searching for an update to the Phoenix Northeast light rail extension from the mainline to Paradise Valley Mall given that T2050 had the connection from parts closer to the northern terminus.

Valley Metro has begun to address the issue in updated maps and potential alternatives.

http://www.valleymetro.org/projects_...tail/northeast

Very nice. Thanks for sharing the news. I appreciate that. Let make it happen. If they have a light rail extension from Camelback Rd & Central Ave or Dunlap Ave to Cactus Rd & Thunderbird Rd to PV Mall.

[biggus diggus]

If they chose to run it on Dunlap it would be very bittersweet. I feel like my neighborhood might become a little busier with foot traffic from the types you don't really want i.e. what happened with Royal Palm after the 19th avenue section opened.

On the flip side I've been saying for years that Dunlap is ripe for retail and restaurants with those old storefronts all sitting either vacant or as machine shops, light rail may kick start Sunnyslope into being an urban center.

[combusean]

Sunnyslope is ripe for urbanization with good bones and affordability, and the transit users are built in.

Plus light rail on Cave Creek through the desert's edge would be among one of the most uniquely beautiful lines in the country.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by combusean

Sunnyslope is ripe for urbanization with good bones and affordability, and the transit users are built in.

Plus light rail on Cave Creek through the desert's edge would be among one of the most uniquely beautiful lines in the country.

Ive been looking at homes all around central phoenix and Im amazed that sunny slope didn't gentrify long ago, the location and views are incredible.

I know its pretty bad along certain roads but I really cant believe it. Ive seen some light remodels in the area, If I had more money and I wasn't going to live there I think Id buy some properties to flip/rent

Unfortunately I am not in a position to take on that kind of a project currently.

[biggus diggus]

The guys doing flips around here are cashing in right now. While not technically in Sunnyslope I consider myself to be in it, the house down the street from me just sold for $330K and they are gutting, plan to put it up for $595K when done and I bet it sells instantly. They have about $160K in work to do and cost of sale will be about 10%.

Easy 50 grand net if they get asking price, which I fully expect they will.

The down side of flips is if you get one wrong you'll lose the profit gained from 2 that you got right. Very risky business that I don't get into.

[SimPhoenix]

Do you guys prefer option 1 or option 2? I'm all for a faster ride to Camelback /Downtown. I don't see the benefit of connecting PV Mall to Metrocenter (or 19th Ave/Dunlap).

http://www.valleymetro.org/images/up...et_Q4_2017.pdf

[biggus diggus]

The problem I see with option 1 is how do they get through Dreamy Draw and where is the train on the freeway? There's no median and it's not like they can build it on the preserve.

[SimPhoenix]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

The problem I see with option 1 is how do they get through Dreamy Draw and where is the train on the freeway? There's no median and it's not like they can build it on the preserve.

I'm not sure either. A few months ago I went to the Paradise Valley Village Council meeting and they asked the same question. A rep from valley metro said they would have a way to do it but offered no specifics. She said she would be back towards the end of the year with an update. My guess is that the proximity to Dreamy Draw or the cost of an elevated line (similar to sections in Seattle) will doom it as an option.

[combusean]

The Dreamy Draw plan was sold to voters with the removal of two lanes of the 51.

I could easily see the diamond lanes going away for tracks, but I couldn't decide whether Cave Creek or the 51 is better. Both need the transit connection.

[biggus diggus]

The 51 needs more lanes, not fewer.

[exit2lef]

The Dunlap / Cactus route first began to appear on maps during the campaign for the 2015 transit referendum. My guess is that it's a value-engineered alternative to the original plan to go through the Dreamy Draw. It would require fewer miles of track to connect to the existing line. The huge downside is that it would make the journey between northeast Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix via a circuitous path shaped like the mirror image of a question mark. I doubt anyone would use such a route to go downtown even for special events, much less the daily commute. In that case, would there be sufficient east-west ridership between MetroCenter and Paradise Valley Mall to justify light rail? I doubt it and therefore expect to see the value route rejected due to insufficient ridership projections.

The Dream Draw route has its own problems. I would be amazed if ADOT gave up any of its existing travel lanes on SR51. It then becomes a question of whether it would be acceptable to consume additional desert land within the mountain preserve for track, or if it somehow could be done within a currently unused portion of ADOT's right of way. As much as I like light rail, I'd oppose any plan that took land from the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

Even if that problem can be solved, there are two other issues:

1) A route along SR51 would travel nearly a mile west of the Biltmore area, a logical destination for light rail that it would just miss serving as it heads northeast.

2) Any line going through the Dreamy Draw would traverse two or three miles of protected desert with no potential for return on investment via transit-oriented development.

What I'd really like to see is a Biltmore spur built in the short term. It could be linked to northeast Phoenix via express bus service on SR51 pending a resolution of the various issues mentioned above and a final decision on light rail through the Dreamy Draw.

[pbenjamin]

I’d prefer routing the thing up Cave Creek rather tha the 51 simply for TOD reasons. Light rail along a freeway is almost always a bad idea.