Paul Giblin

The Republic | azcentral.com

Glendale City Council members question whether light-rail line should stop in downtown

Crossing six lanes of traffic on Grand and one or two railroad lines presents challenges

Valley Metro planners will consider bridging and tunneling to get beyond Grand corridor

Valley Metro transit planners are re-examining a light-rail route to downtown Glendale after City Council members expressed concerns that the regional transit agency's proposed seven-mile line may not go far enough.

A better alternative, they suggested, would be to extend the line across Grand Avenue to increase the chances that it one day connects to the Westgate Entertainment District and University of Phoenix Stadium.

RELATED: Scottsdale City Council kills potential light-rail routes

Getting the light rail west of Grand makes the project far more appealing, said Glendale Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff during a council study session last month.

"The addition (of) the Grand Avenue crossing has been pretty much a mind-changer for me, at least exploring this process further," said Tolmachoff, who previously said she was "not crazy" about the proposed route.

However, crossing Grand would create significant engineering and financing challenges. The thoroughfare is six lanes wide and runs parallel to the BNSF Railway line, which splits from one track to two tracks in the area. Valley Metro officials will study the idea, said Megan Casey, the community outreach coordinator for the intergovernmental agency.

Transit officials expect to offer a more detailed recommendation by the end of the year with the goal of opening a West Valley rail extension by 2026, she said.

Getting to downtown

From the east, the proposed route would branch off the light-rail line at 19th Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix. It would then zigzag west along Camelback past Grand Canyon University, north on 43rd Avenue and west again somewhere near Glendale Avenue or Glenn Drive into downtown.

The proposed end point had been somewhere near the Glendale Civic Center, just north of Glendale City Hall, but the proposed termination poses two significant problems, according to Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers:

There's little space north of City Hall to create an expansive park-and-ride lot like those typically associated with light-rail termination points. Traffic likely would clog existing parking lots and narrow streets near Glenn Drive and 59th Avenue. Undeveloped or lightly developed property is plentiful on the west side of Grand.

If Valley Metro doesn't cross Grand with the initial expansion, transit planners may be hesitant to do it later. "If it dead ends in downtown Glendale, I can't support it. It doesn't make sense to me," he said.

Glendale officials envision a future extension from Grand five miles west to the Westgate Entertainment District, University of Phoenix Stadium and Gila River Arena near Glendale Avenue and Loop 101.

If the light-rail line crosses Grand by 2026, it would be easier to pick up construction later for the Westgate extension, council members said.

Crossing Grand is critical, Tolmachoff said.

"In order to get it out to Westgate and to another transportation corridor, it has to get through — not necessarily downtown Glendale — but you've got to get from 19th Avenue to the 101 somehow," she said.

She suggested that tracks extend about a mile west of Grand to the Maricopa County Court complex at 67th Avenue also could be a benefit.

Weiers said he preferred the recommended route for the West Valley extension among several other options Valley Metro planners initially considered. However, he isn't thrilled with any of those options.

He compared Valley Metro to a restaurant that only serves liver.

"Here's what they're saying: 'We're going to give you the chance to eat liver, but we're going to leave it up to you. Do you want boiled liver or do you want fried liver or do you want baked liver or would you like liver with onions?' You go: 'I don't like liver. I don't like liver at all,' " Weiers said.

The recommended route is liver with onions; it's the best of the options offered, but he still doesn't like liver.

He said he prefers stopping the light-rail route along Glendale Avenue east of downtown Glendale and running a less-intrusive trolley line to downtown.

'A lot of challenges to crossing Grand'

Valley Metro planners have other important factors to decide — a path over Interstate 17 near Camelback Road, the exact transition from Glendale Avenue to Glenn near 51st Avenue, traffic configurations and potential station locations.

Transit planners expect to conduct a series of public meetings before issuing final recommendations.

The Grand corridor presents a considerable challenge. Grand is six lanes wide between Glendale Avenue and Glenn. The BNSF Railway is one track at Glendale Avenue, but splits into two tracks by Glenn, one city block north.

MORE: Bell Road at Grand Ave closed in Surprise for 6-8 months

Furthermore, Grand goes under the intersection of Glendale and 59th and is still somewhat recessed around Glenn. The railroad track remains at street level in the area.

Valley Metro planners are exploring the idea of routing the light-rail line across the Grand corridor at either Glenn or another block north at West Palmaire Avenue. They're also examining whether it would be better to bridge over the corridor or tunnel under it.

"There are a lot of challenges to crossing Grand," said Abhi Dayal, manager of capitol development for Valley Metro. "It's certainly something we'll have to explore to see how we can do it, both in terms of cost as well as construction."

The light-rail line already crosses other expanses, notably Tempe Town Lake, which it traverses on a bridge.

Light-rail projects typically cost between $80 million to $130 million a mile, depending on factors like the number of stations, bridge structures, traffic configurations and more, said Susan Tierney, Valley Metro communications manager.

That formula puts the cost of the seven-mile Glendale route somewhere between $560 million and $910 million, without stretching it over or under the Grand corridor.

Transit planners have yet to determine the cost to cross Grand.

In general, Valley Metro officials expect 50 percent of the funding for the West Valley extension to come from federal sources, 10 to 15 percent from regional taxes, and the remaining 35 percent to 40 percent from municipal transportation taxes in Phoenix and Glendale.

'Catalyst of connectivity' to Westgate

The public appears to share the council's desire to see the line extend west beyond Glendale's downtown, Dayal said.

"We've done several community outreach events and there has been general interest in potentially going out to Westgate at some point, so we certainly want to look at all options that could position us to do that in the future," he said.

No matter the final recommendation, a top goal is to ensure the design allows for a potential extension to the shopping and entertainment mecca, Casey said.

"It's hard to speculate on what might happen after this, because there's no plans for that yet, so our goal is to not preclude further expansion with this project," she said.

During a council study session last month, Glendale Vice Mayor Ian Hugh questioned the methodology of ridership studies and the potential of inflated projections about economic impact.

Councilman Ray Malnar questioned whether an existing Glendale transit tax is adequate to support the plan.

Malnar also asked whether enough thought has been put into how light rail might change downtown Glendale, transforming its current "Downtown USA" atmosphere into a "mini Phoenix" or something similar to Scottsdale.

Councilman Jamie Aldama, whose district includes downtown, said he prefers a more vibrant area that provides more pedestrian traffic for business owners.

Light rail also could help Glendale residents travel to jobs and medical facilities in Phoenix and elsewhere, he said. Light rail likely would help create vibrancy in a decade, but the council needs to consider other steps before then, Aldama said.

Councilman Bart Turner said he hopes to preserve the historic nature of downtown, which has a distinctly Midwestern feel with businesses clustered around a central square.

"As much as I love our downtown, I'm worried that our downtown is at risk. I've seen it go through cycles in the past. It seems to be cycling now," he said.

Light rail would bring new people with disposable income to downtown that will help keep it thriving. The "genius" of the recommend route is that it goes through both the blighted areas of Glendale Avenue east of downtown, plus Glenn, spreading potential redevelopment opportunities for miles, he said.

Councilman Sammy Chavira, whose district takes in both Westgate and Luke Air Force Base, said he wants to continue the westward thrust of light-rail plans well beyond downtown. He called light rail the "catalyst of connectivity."

Light rail causes "generational consequences" that can be positive or negative, said Scott Smith, the interim CEO for Valley Metro and a former Mesa mayor.

Mid-rise residential housing and office building have followed the light-rail line in Mesa, replacing struggling auto lots, Smith said. Small businesses that suffered downturns during the light-rail construction in Mesa have rebounded and thrived since completion, he said.