In Durham, N.C., plans for a light-rail route connecting residents, universities and hospitals were scrapped amid objections from Duke University officials, who said it would cause problems at the school’s medical campus. In Baltimore, Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan, deemed a transit line proposal too expensive, ending hopes for a link between the east and west sides of the city.

But another city’s fight over light rail ended differently this week: Residents in Phoenix voted on Tuesday to continue financing that city’s growing light-rail system — a rebuke to opponents who had argued that the system was too costly, and a lift to people who see public transit as a key to the city’s future.

Unofficial election results posted on the city’s website on Tuesday night showed that about 62 percent of voters wanted to continue financing an expanded rail system.

As cities across the nation have sought to build light-rail systems over the last decade to reduce congestion and air pollution, local governments have faced opposition over spending billions of dollars to pay for new transportation systems in places long dominated by cars and highways.