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Plans for Tempe streetcar move forward

CHILD SLAVE: James Kofi Annan, a former Ghanian child slave, pauses to survey the conference room he gave his presentation in on the West campus, discussing the global slave trade. (Photo by Michael Arellano)
CHILD SLAVE: James Kofi Annan, a former Ghanian child slave, pauses to survey the conference room he gave his presentation in on the West campus, discussing the global slave trade. (Photo by Michael Arellano)

Metro Light Rail and the city of Tempe could be welcoming a new form of transportation to the city streets.

If approved by light rail officials and a regional council, construction of a streetcar line could begin in 2013.

The streetcar is a modern trolley that’s smaller than a light rail car. It would stop frequently and ride through residential areas much like the streetcar lines in Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

Routes are planned to run through Mill and Ash avenues.

The Tempe City Council approved the project Oct. 24 and Metro Light Rail is now awaiting the approval from the Metro Light Rail Board on Nov. 17 as well as the regional council, Maricopa Association of Governments, on Dec. 8.

“Before the end of the year, we should go through with the approval,” said Hillary Foose, spokeswoman for Metro Light Rail.

The 2.6-mile project will have a one-way road on Mill Avenue from Rio Salado Parkway to Southern Avenue.

A two-way road will loop on Mill and Ash avenues from University Avenue and will turn around near the Mill Avenue light rail stop.

“There’s neighborhood connectivity that we want to make,” Foose said.

The loop is meant to reduce parking problems in downtown Tempe.

Metro Light Rail conducted a three-year study in which they asked for public input and what areas were in need for public transportation.

“Streetcar has higher capacity than the Orbit [Bus System],” Foose said. “It would move more people and move them quickly.”

Metro Light Rail expects 1,100 to 1,600 riders per day.

Proposition 400, a half-cent transportation sales tax, a federal grant and ride fares would help fund the project, which currently has an estimated cost of $163 million, Foose said.

Tempe spokeswoman Amanda Nelson believes that both residents and businesses will benefit from the streetcar.

“We’ve seen how the light rail has attracted new development for Apache [Boulevard] as well as other areas on the current light rail alignment,” Nelson said.

Brent Moser, executive vice president of Cassidy Turley, a commercial real estate company, said it’s pointless for the streetcar line to go to Southern because it’s not families who will be using it, but students.

“On Rio Salado and on University along Mill Avenue, that’s where you’re going to have riders,” Moser said.

Painting senior Caitlyn Thomas works at Buffalo Exchange, located where the future streetcar line would be on Ash Avenue.

“I personally think it’s a good idea because I know that I would benefit from riding that,” Thomas said. “Depending on how long it would run in the evening, it would benefit people who are going out drinking and would defer drunk driving.”

Metro Light Rail is planning a future bus service on Rural Road, Foose said.

“[It’d be] a limited bus service serving a larger number of people from downtown Tempe on Rural Road to Chandler,” Foose said.

The 12-mile bus service is unfunded at the moment but as funds come in, Metro Light Rail hopes to build it.

Funds for the streetcar will be submitted in spring 2011, and construction is projected to be complete by 2016.

Reach the reporter at mpareval@asu.edu

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