Tristan Ettleman

The Republic | azcentral.com

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.

Only buses and light-rail trains will have access to that portion of the roadway, which also will get a new station. The council voted 7-2 to approve the changes, with Councilmen Sal DiCiccio and Jim Waring voting "no."

The goal of the project is to "create a nice transfer hub," said Albert Santana, director of high-capacity transit for Phoenix.

The three stations will be around CityScape, and the portion of the roadway that will close goes through the middle of the development and under a pedestrian bridge. Part of that area is where the ice rink is installed in winter.

The City Council's approval means the start of the final planning and design phases, Santana said. The city estimates the design will be finished in summer 2019, with construction completed in fall 2023.

Completion of the downtown hub is planned to coincide with the opening of new lines, one west to the Capitol and one south to Baseline Road along Central Avenue.

Santana said the schedule focuses the bulk of construction at one time, rather than stringing it out across more years.

The final design and engineering costs will run about $35 million, while preconstruction costs will be about $15 million, he said.

The hub project is funded by Transportation 2050, a sales-tax increase approved by Phoenix voters.

The tax increase is estimated to generate $16.7 billion for public transit and street improvements through 2050, while federal and county funds, passenger fares and other revenue sources are expected to contribute another $14.8 billion to the plan.

Changing for the better?

The hub's creation, and the closure of a block of Central Avenue, has received mixed reactions from some consumers and downtown advocates.

Urban Phoenix Project President Sean Sweat is opposed to road closures for any kind of transportation.

"I'm not a 'special case' kind of guy," he said, but acknowledged Central's bus and light-rail corridor between Washington and Jefferson may serve as an effective, informal central station.

Generally, the hub is "good for the system," he said.

Diamond Sims regularly commutes on light rail to CityScape, where she works. She said she has "no problem" with the closure of one block on Central Avenue, and she said the changes coming to the block "sound useful."

Sharon Sinclair tried the light rail for a week for her commute to CityScape from the north but said a low frequency of trains caused her to stop.

"It's supposed to be better," she said.

But Sinclair added she would reconsider her commute options with the downtown hub.

She saidshe might "come right down the steps" on the east side of Central Avenue and get on a light-rail train home. "That would be awesome."

Lingering concerns

Downtown Phoenix Inc. CEO and President Dave Krietor said the organization's working relationship with the project is "very strong," though he added, "The devil is in the details."

Krietor said he is concerned about the light-rail hub's impact on CityScape because Downtown Phoenix Inc. often coordinates events in the area.

With the new transit corridor and increased foot traffic, he hopes the city creates a more integrated event space.

Due to the closure of the block, the city will widen First Street to add an additional northbound lane.

The new lines and stations will not require any 90-degree turns across traffic, as there are on the existing line through downtown.

The Washington and Jefferson stations, which will be between Central and First avenues, will not reduce current traffic lanes, although the Washington station will remove a small number of street parking spaces.

The stations' design will be tailored to the area and integrated into the existing adjacent architecture, Santana said.

Input from business owners, riders and community stakeholders has been positive so far, he said.

Sweat of Urban Phoenix Project is concerned about whether there will be enough trains on the new lines.

Increased frequency is essential to the new lines and transfer system, he said. He hopes signal timing will be fine-tuned so riders can quickly reach other stations for transfers.

Transfers to buses from light rail are difficult now, said on-and-off light-rail rider Shandiin Kuauhtli. But she added that she thinks the planned changes will makethem "much easier."

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