Title
Capitol/I-10 West Light Rail Extension Phase I Recommendation
Description
This report requests City Council approval to amend the Phase I Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Capitol/I-10 West Light Rail Extension to Concept C, the 18th/19th Avenue option as provided in this report in Attachment A.
Report
Summary
In partnership with Valley Metro, City of Phoenix staff is recommending a revised Phase I light rail alignment for the Capitol/I-10 West (CAP/I-10W) light rail extension, connecting the South Central/Downtown Hub to the Arizona State Capitol (Attachment A) area, as outlined below.
The recommended Phase I alignment is based on community preferences following comprehensive stakeholder engagement with two series of public outreach efforts conducted in 2020, as well as the results of extensive technical analysis.
The CAP/I-10W project is part of the expanded light rail system outlined in the voter-approved Transportation 2050 (T2050) plan.
Phase I Alignment Recommendation:
In 2012, the Phoenix City Council approved the current LPA as shown in Attachment B. In 2016, the Council and Valley Metro Rail Board of Directors approved a phased approach to the project; Phase I will connect downtown Phoenix to the State Capitol area, and Phase II will extend the system farther west along I-10 to 79th Avenue.
Technical Analysis Summary:
Opportunities to refine the CAP/I-10W project emerged due to robust downtown development and the evolution of the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub project. Accordingly, the route between downtown Phoenix and the State Capitol along Jefferson Street has been reevaluated, with options presented and input solicited from the public and other area stakeholders.
Based on further technical analysis, the use of Washington Street, (as opposed to the double-track on Jefferson Street as identified in the previous LPA), was given further consideration recognizing the volume of residential and employment land uses in proximity to Washington Street, as well as the opportunity to provide an improved connection to Phase II.
During the Phase I reassessment process, Valley Metro identified and evaluated five potential Phase I alignments:
- 2012-approved LPA Route (double-track on Jefferson Street, west of 8th Avenue).
- Washington Street double-track (double-track on Washington Street, west of 3rd Avenue).*
- Concept A (double-track on Washington Street, west of 8th Avenue).
- Concept B (15th Avenue loop).
- Concept C (18th/19th Avenue loop).
*As a result of a study and design challenges that demonstrated significant negative impacts to the downtown core, this option was removed.
The technical analysis revealed that Concept C (Attachment A) outperformed the other options given the benefits of the 18th/19th Avenue Loop compared to other Phase I options, including:
- Serving more residential and employment centers, maximizing potential ridership and access for current and future users.
- Higher operational efficiencies and optimal preparation for a future connection to Phase II.
- Lower impacts to historic and government properties.
- Mitigated impacts to bus operations and other vehicular traffic.
- Greater opportunity to implement Council-approved Complete Streets concepts and multimodal transportation elements along both Washington and Jefferson Streets.
Concurrent with the technical evaluation, the project team pursued an extensive public engagement effort that included:
- Meetings with community groups.
- Meetings with key stakeholders and businesses along the corridor, including State government representatives.
- Participating in community events.
- Conducting a series of public meetings.
Public Meeting Summary:
In response to direction from the Phoenix City Council in April 2019, Valley Metro hosted two series of public meetings to engage the community for input on the project.
Public input was requested on three topics: 1) the Phase I leading option; 2) a potential Phase II extension to Desert Sky Mall; and 3) options for high-capacity, high-frequency transit types in Phase II.
In January 2020, Valley Metro held three public meetings (two in English and one in Spanish) to present the four Phase I options (2012 LPA Route and Concepts A, B and C). Respondents expressed the greatest support for the 18th/19th Avenue Loop option (Concept C) as the selected Phase I route, with approximately 54 percent of the 183 surveys received favoring Concept C over the other three options. The results of these meetings were utilized to refine the public meeting materials for the next round of public meetings.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online meetings were made available to the public from May 27, 2020 through June 30, 2020 by visiting the project website at valleymetro.org/capitol. Questions and comments could be submitted at any time during the comment period, and all information was presented in English and Spanish. Additionally, four live (call-in) meetings were conducted (two in English and two in Spanish) on June 16, 2020 and June 20, 2020. In total, 356 people participated via either the online public meeting or live, call-in sessions, with 183 individuals responding to the survey.
Given the advantages of Concept C compared to the other Phase I options and the results of the January 2020 public meetings, the May/June online public meeting presented Concept C as the “leading alternative,” asking the public to document whether they felt “positive,” “neutral” or “negative” toward the option. Out of the 183 responses received from the May/June online meeting survey, 67 percent of respondents expressed feeling positive about Option C as the leading alternative, with 19 percent neutral and 14 percent negative.
Regarding Phase II of the project, at the May/June 2020 public meeting, Valley Metro also provided information regarding a potential extension to Desert Sky Mall (Attachment C). In response, 77 percent of the 198 survey respondents felt positive about adding this extension to the project, with 14 percent neutral and 9 percent negative.
The survey also sought input on Phase II transit type options (light rail compared to an exclusive bus way). Of the 149 responses to this question, 75 percent stated they preferred light rail over exclusive bus way, with 16 percent preferring the bus way and 9 percent with no preference.
Valley Metro is continuing technical analysis for Phase II with the intent of completing the analysis toward the end of 2020.
Next Steps:
If approved by Council, Valley Metro and City of Phoenix staff will begin the environmental assessment process for the revised Phase I alignment. Staff will also continue to evaluate Phase II, with focus on the following elements:
- Complete analysis of transit types, financial analysis and funding opportunities.
- Evaluate extending Phase II to Desert Sky Mall.
- Continue discussions with West Valley communities.
The results of these evaluations are anticipated to be presented in late 2020/early 2021.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
- On Sept. 24, 2020, the Citizens Transportation Commission voted to recommend approval of Concept C, as the amended Phase I Locally Preferred Alternative for the Capitol/I-10 West Light Rail Extension by a vote of 9-1.
- This item was recommended for approval at the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee meeting on Oct. 7, 2020, by a vote of 4-0.
Location
Phase I will extend light rail from downtown Phoenix west to the State Capitol Complex. Phase II will extend north to I-10 and along I-10 West to 79th Avenue and the West Phoenix area.
Council Districts: 4, 5 and 7
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.