• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google +
  • Flickr
  • You Tube
  • Nick Bastian

Rail Life

Phoenix Light Rail News and Information

  • About RailLife
  • Events
  • Homes Near Light Rail
  • Phoenix Light Rail Map
You are here: Home / Light Rail Expansion info / Ground Broken

Ground Broken

May 30, 2012 by Nick Bastian Leave a Comment

It was a party. Complete with big top tent, a bunch of food and drink from local businesses and a band playing in the streets. Hundreds of people gathered today to celebrate the future light rail extension that is coming to Mesa. In addition to the party atmosphere, people rubbed elbows with the movers and shakers from valley transportation circles. Politicians, their staff, contractors, business leaders all got together as the people from Friends of Transit introduced the days speakers.

METRO CEO Steve Banta and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith gave some great insight as to what is to come. There is obviously a lot of excitement over the first light rail extension in Arizona and the impact it will have in downtown Mesa.

I didn’t take a ton of pics but you can see a few shots from the day in the slideshow below. I have also included a press release from METRO announcing the days activities.

May 30, 2012

Today, METRO commemorates the start of construction in Central Mesa

Construction of the Valley’s first light rail extension to initiate in coming weeks

PHOENIX, AZ — METRO light rail is on the move in Central Mesa.  This morning, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to commemorate the start of construction on the 3.1-mile light rail line into downtown Mesa, AZ and to rally support for the neighboring business community.

“This is a major milestone not only for Mesa but for the region,” said Mesa Mayor Scott Smith.  “We have been waiting for this for a long time.  This expansion will create a destination that is unique in the Valley and also offers great opportunity for economic growth.”

The event marks the first construction activity and extension of the existing 20-mile light rail that runs in Phoenix, Tempe and a mile into Mesa and opened in December 2008.  The 3.1-mile Central Mesa extension will continue light rail east on Main Street from the current end-of-line at Sycamore, through downtown Mesa to Mesa Drive.  It will add four stations to the system and is expected to open in late 2015, earlier than previously scheduled.

“While we’ll build in Mesa, this project has economic and transportation benefits beyond city borders,” said Valley Metro CEO Steve Banta.  “The Central Mesa extension will provide greater connectivity for the entire East Valley and an economic boost in jobs and activity that will be felt across the region.”

A critical component to the construction plan is providing the neighboring businesses with resources, technical services and marketing to support them during construction.  METRO, alongside the City of Mesa and several business partners, has developed a comprehensive business assistance program.  One of the first roll-outs is the METRO Max Rewards program, which offers consumers savings for shopping local and with participating businesses.

Construction is set to begin in mid-June by the Central Mesa Design-Build team, Valley Transit Constructors, a Kiewit/Mass. Joint Venture.  The first phase is utility relocation.

For more information on the Central Mesa project, visit www.metrolightrail.org/centralmesa.  To stay engaged with the project, email Lisa Procknow (lprocknow@metrolightrail.org) to be added to the email distribution list or connect on Facebook (www.facebook.com/METROrailconstruction).

Filed Under: Light Rail Expansion info

About Nick Bastian

Nick Bastian is a 31 year veteran of the real estate industry and can be reached at 602-803-6425. You'll also find him sharing real estate info on his web site and hanging out onTwitter.
Family man, lover of life, maker of friends. A bit of a geek, long time Tempe real estate guy just havin' some fun. What's your story?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RailLife

Thanks for visiting RailLife.com! We want to be your resource for all that is light rail in Arizona. Here, we share information about “life along the line.” Feel free to cruise around and to bookmark the site as information is added or changed often!

RailLife Uber Code

Good for $20 off your first ride with Uber! Use Promo code: RAILLIFE OR click here to get an Uber account: RailLife Sign up code

Search RailLife

Search for Homes

Looking for a home? Search NickBastian.com for your future home.

Homes Near Light Rail

44 Listings
1649 W BEDFORD Street, Mesa, AZ 85201

$375,000 1649 W BEDFORD Street
Mesa, AZ 85201

419 E 3RD Place, Mesa, AZ 85203

$317,000 419 E 3RD Place
Mesa, AZ 85203

331 W EDGEMONT Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003

$879,000 331 W EDGEMONT Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003

325 W WILLETTA Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003

$1,550,000 325 W WILLETTA Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003

502 W MONTE VISTA Road, Phoenix, AZ 85003

$1,090,000 502 W MONTE VISTA Road
Phoenix, AZ 85003

505 W EDGEMONT Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003

$755,000 505 W EDGEMONT Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003

previous next

MLS IDX Listing Disclosure © 2023

Copyright 2023 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Not Guaranteed and Must Be Confirmed by End User. Site contains live data.

Lakeside Living

7 Listings
945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4009, Tempe, AZ 85281

$479,000 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4009
Tempe, AZ 85281

140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 312, Tempe, AZ 85281

$735,000 140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 312
Tempe, AZ 85281

140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 106, Tempe, AZ 85281

$1,122,000 140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 106
Tempe, AZ 85281

120 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 101, Tempe, AZ 85281

$869,000 120 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 101
Tempe, AZ 85281

435 W RIO SALADO Parkway, 101, Tempe, AZ 85281

$365,000 435 W RIO SALADO Parkway, 101
Tempe, AZ 85281

435 W RIO SALADO Parkway, 103, Tempe, AZ 85281

$449,900 435 W RIO SALADO Parkway, 103
Tempe, AZ 85281

previous next

MLS IDX Listing Disclosure © 2023

Copyright 2023 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Not Guaranteed and Must Be Confirmed by End User. Site contains live data.

RailLife Posts

Looking For A REALTOR To Rock The Rail Life

Nowhere To Eat In Downtown Mesa

Could Coyotes Help Expand Tempe Streetcar?

Scott Smith Remaining as Valley Metro CEO

Banta Lawyers Up – Sues Valley Metro for $1.65 Million

© 2023 · RailLife · Developed by Marketing Press