Council Approves 16 Light Rail Passenger Stations

April 18, 2001

The City Council has endorsed the location of 16 of 18 proposed passenger stations that would serve the first stage of the city's light rail transit system.

The station sites along the light rail's initial 20-mile route through the city would give riders easy access to shopping, downtown businesses, midtown and east side offices, entertainment and cultural venues, and Sky Harbor International Airport.

The council approved the locations at its April 17 policy meeting following a recommendation by its Transportation and Technology Subcommittee.

Fifteen of the sites were endorsed earlier by the Citizens Transit Commission following 144 public meetings that were attended by hundreds of people. A station at 32nd Street and Washington Street was added to the list by the subcommittee.

Action on the remaining two proposed sites -- 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, which is the northern end of the first segment of the system, and 12th Street at Washington and Jefferson streets -- was postponed for further evaluation. The citizens committee is expected to discuss the two sites at meetings in May.

The council also said a station planned for Central Avenue and Encanto Boulevard would be designed at the same time as the others, but would not be built until residential or employment development in the area warrants it.

Construction of the light rail system in Phoenix is scheduled to begin in 2003 and be completed in 2006. Outside the city, the system will run through Tempe, the Arizona State University campus and downtown Mesa.

The 16 Phoenix sites approved by the City Council are:

• 19th Avenue and Camelback Road
• Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road
• Central Avenue and Camelback Road
• Central Avenue, south of Campbell Avenue
• Central Avenue, north of Indian School Road
• Central Avenue, south of Osborn Road
• Central Avenue, north of Thomas Road
• Central Avenue, north of Encanto Boulevard
• Central Avenue, south of McDowell Road
• Roosevelt Street and First Avenue
• Central Station, at Central Avenue, First Avenue and Van Buren Street
• First Avenue (southbound) between Washington and Jefferson streets and Central Avenue (northbound) between Adams and Washington streets
• Jefferson Street (eastbound) between Third and Fourth streets and Washington Street (westbound ) between Second and Third streets
• 24th Street between Jefferson and Washington streets, east of I-10
• 32nd Street and Washington Street
• Washington Street, west of 40th Street