Northwest

19th Avenue Frontage Road Reconstruction, July 2010 – January 2011

Starting in July 2010, the City of Phoenix will begin work to construct a new frontage road on the east side of
19th Avenue between Butler Drive and Townley Avenue. This work will include utility relocations, a new gabion-style wall and landscaping. The project is being undertaken to fulfill the City’s commitment to the neighborhood to replace the existing frontage road between Butler and Townley and to prepare for future light rail construction.

Traffic lane restrictions will occur on 19th Avenue, generally between Butler and Townley, throughout the duration of the project, with the heaviest period of restrictions (one lane in each direction) starting in mid-July and lasting for six to seven weeks.

Important Tips
• Plan your route and anticipate delays on 19th Avenue.
• Pay close attention to temporary traffic signs.
• School starts August 9th. Check out the Safest Routes to School Temporary Walking Map.

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Gabion Wall Construction, August – October 2010

Starting in August 2010, a gabion-style wall will be constructed within City right-of-way on the west side of 19th Avenue between Maryland Avenue and Tuckey Lane.  This project is being undertaken to fulfill the City’s commitment to the neighborhood to provide a physical separation between the neighborhood and future light rail.

The project is not anticipated to create traffic restrictions or other disruptions, however, a water main replacement project in the same vicinity will cause traffic disruptions.  For information about the water main replacement project, contact the water main project construction hotline at 602-956-2670.
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For more information, call the construction hotline at 602-434-2610 or use the contacts below.

The Northwest Extension will take light rail service farther north on 19th Avenue to eventually end at the area near Interstate 17 freeway and Dunlap Avenue.  The project is split into two phases, both of which are experiencing unfortunate delays as a result of the slow economy.
 
Phase 1 is a 3.2-mile extension north from the current end-of-line at Montebello to Dunlap Avenue.  Design is complete and includes three stations, one park-and-ride and convenient bus connections at Bethany Home Road, Glendale and Northern avenues.  The extension will serve nearly 20,000 residents, more than 20,000 employees and nearly 10,000 housing units.  In addition, 14 percent of neighboring households are without an automobile compared to seven percent countywide.
 
Phase 2 will eventually take light rail service west towards I-17.
 
Funding primarily comes from a 4/10 of cent sales tax extension approved by city of Phoenix voters in 2000 with additional monies coming from regional sources.  With the economic downturn and a drastic reduction in sales tax collections, project funding and, subsequently, the timeline have been impacted.
 
The city of Phoenix and METRO will continue to move ahead with Phase 1 items in 2010 including completion of right-of-way real estate acquisition and installation of landscaping and barrier walls to support the neighboring community.  These new features will not need to be relocated or impacted during eventual construction of the line.  Concurrently, the city and METRO continue to research alternative funding sources and/or options to quicken the project’s timeline.  The current schedule for completion is 2023 for Phase 1 and 2026 for Phase 2.

If you have questions that are not answered by this Web page, contact:
Terry Gruver
Public Involvement Coordinator
480-664-2631
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Coral Balcazar
Public Involvement Coordinator
480-275-4239
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)