METRO Light Rail
Central Mesa
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If you would like a presentation on the Central Mesa Extension or attend a community event please e-mail Carla Kahn at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or Lisa Procknow at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Since the adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) in 2009, METRO and the city of Mesa have been working with the community to further define the Central Mesa Light Rail Extension. Four station locations and a Main Street traffic configuration have been approved as the project advances into the design phase.
The station locations on Main Street will be Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, Center Street, and Mesa Drive. The station platforms will be located on the east side of each intersection. A park-and-ride will be located near the Mesa Drive station.
The traffic lane configuration from Sycamore to Country Club Drive will be two lanes of traffic and a bicycle lane in each direction with on-street parking removed. Parking was removed to reduce the impacts to adjacent property and sidewalks.
From Country Club Drive to Mesa Drive, traffic will transition to one lane in each direction. On-street parking and existing signalized pedestrian crossings will be maintained where possible in this area. The bicycle lanes will be removed and bicycles will operate in the through lane of traffic.
The majority of intersections along the line will have separate left turn lanes with dedicated left turn arrows. For additional information and maps, download the Central Mesa Update.
Next steps:
Design of the Central Mesa Light Rail Extension is anticipated to begin in summer 2010. METRO and the city of Mesa will continue to solicit community input as the project is further defined.
| Adoption into the Regional Transportation Plan | Summer 2009 |
| Environmental Assessment | Summer 2009 – Fall 2010 |
| Design | 2010 – 2011 |
| Pre-construction | 2011 – 2013 |
| Construction | 2013 – 2015 |
| Completion/Start-up | 2016 |
Overview
The METRO Board of Directors and Mesa City Council approved a recommendation regarding transit technology and route after more than two years of detailed study. The recommendation extends light rail on Main Street in two phases. Phase I extends light rail to Mesa Drive by 2016, and is funded by Proposition 400 regional sales tax revenue and a federal grant that will be applied for by METRO. As other funding becomes available, Phase II would extend light rail from Mesa Drive to Gilbert Road.
The study and planning efforts were consistent with the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan with a scheduled completion date of 2016. This project is also in compliance with the requirements of the federal transit planning process needed to qualify for federal funds that can support the building of these projects.