Title
Capitol Extension Route Recommendation and Design and Preconstruction Services
Description
This report requests the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee recommend City Council approval to amend the current locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the 19th Avenue option of the Capitol Extension (CAPEX), which was formerly known as the Capitol/I-10 West Extension Phase I, as shown in Attachment A.
Additionally, this report requests the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee recommend City Council approval to enter into an agreement with Valley Metro Rail to fund up to $45.3 million to complete pre-construction activities for the extension. See Attachment B for additional details and cost breakdown.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
In 2012, the City Council approved the current LPA (Attachment C). In 2016, the City Council and Valley Metro Rail Board of Directors approved a phased approach to the project, shown below:
- Phase I - Connect downtown Phoenix to the State Capitol Complex; and
- Phase II - Extend the system west along I-10 to 79th Avenue.
In 2019, the City Council requested additional public input on both phases. Public input was sought in three key areas, shown below:
- Identify a preferred CAPEX option;
- Explore a potential extension to Desert Sky Transit Center; and
- Review all options for high-capacity, high-frequency transit modes for the I-10 West Extension (10WEST).
Technical Analysis Summary
Opportunities to refine the CAPEX project emerged due to robust downtown development and the evolution of the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub (SCE/DH) project. Accordingly, the route between downtown Phoenix and the State Capitol Complex along Jefferson Street has been reevaluated, with input on all potential alternatives solicited from the public and local stakeholders.
Based on Valley Metro’s 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 the State Capitol Complex and to the 10WEST extension.
During the CAPEX reassessment process, Valley Metro identified and evaluated five potential alignments:
- 2012 LPA Route - Double-track on Jefferson Street, west of 8th Avenue;
- Concept A - Double-track on Washington Street, west of 8th Avenue;
- Concept B - 15th Avenue loop;
- Concept C - Separate 18th or 19th Avenue loop options (Attachment D); and
- Washington Street - Double-track west of 3rd Avenue (this option was removed due to design challenges that could have negative impacts to the downtown core).
The technical analysis revealed that Concept C would outperform the other options given the benefits of the 18th/19th Avenue Loop compared to other options, including:
- More service to residential and employment centers;
- Maximized potential ridership and access for current and future users;
- Higher operational efficiencies and improved preparation for a 10WEST connection;
- Lower impacts to historic and government properties;
- Mitigated impacts to bus operations and other vehicular traffic; and
- Greater opportunity to implement Council-approved "Complete Streets" concepts and multimodal transportation elements along Washington and Jefferson streets.
Concurrent with the technical evaluation, the project team pursued an extensive public engagement effort that included:
- Attending meetings with various community groups;
- Attending meetings with key stakeholders and businesses along the corridor, including state government representatives; and
- Conducting and participating in public meetings and community events.
Next Steps
Once approved by City Council, the City of Phoenix and Valley Metro staff will advance design and environmental assessment processes for the revised alignment. To advance these phases, Phoenix and Valley Metro will need to enter into an agreement for Phoenix to fund up to $45.3 million for pre-construction activities. Specific project elements that will be addressed as the design advances include, among other project components: station locations, street configurations, and turnaround tracks.
Valley Metro and City of Phoenix will then need to amend the funding agreement when the project is ready to advance to the construction phase.
Financial Impact
The City of Phoenix will fund an amount not to exceed $45.3 million for pre-construction activities. Transportation 2050 funds are available in the Public Transit Capital Improvement Program budget.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Citizens Transportation Commission recommended approval of this item on Aug. 26, 2021, by a vote of 13-2.
Public Outreach
In January 2020, Valley Metro held three public meetings (two in English and one in Spanish) to present the four CAPEX options. Respondents expressed the greatest support for the 18th/19th Avenue Loop option (Concept C), with approximately 54 percent of the 183 surveys favoring the option. The results of these meetings were used to refine the meeting materials for the next series of public meetings.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, outreach shifted to utilizing online platforms from May 27 to June 30, 2020. Throughout the process, members of the public had the ability to submit questions and comments to be evaluated by and responded to by project staff, with all meeting information presented in both English and Spanish. Additionally, four live (call-in) meetings were conducted (two in English and two in Spanish) in June 2020. In total, 356 people participated via either the online public meeting or live call-in sessions, as well as 183 individuals responding to a survey.
Given the advantages of Concept C compared to the other options, and the results of the January 2020 public meetings, the May/June 2020 online public meeting presented Concept C as the “leading alternative.” Staff asked participants to document whether they felt “positive,” “neutral,” or “negative” toward the option. Of the 183 responses received from the online survey, 67 percent of respondents expressed feeling positive about Concept C as the leading alternative, with 19 percent neutral and 14 percent negative.
State Stakeholder Coordination
In October 2020, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) sent a letter to the Phoenix City Council expressing concerns with the 18th Avenue option, resulting in a delay to the LPA approval process. Since then, the project team has held multiple meetings with representatives from the State of Arizona, including DPS, the Arizona Department of Administration, Arizona Governor’s Office, and staff from the State Senate and House of Representatives, to further examine the 18th Avenue segment of Concept C. As a result of these discussions and after further evaluation, Concept C was amended to remove 18th Avenue from consideration. As a result of these comprehensive efforts, the project team conducted preliminary analysis and conceptual designs to refine and recommend 19th Avenue as the preferred north/south location of the loop portion of the LPA. Staff has conducted additional community engagement, including public notification and stakeholder meetings, to convey this update to the community.
Location
Capitol Extension will extend light rail from downtown Phoenix west to the State Capitol Complex.
Council District: 7
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.