Valley Metro’s South Central Light Rail Extension/Downtown Hub reached its next funding milestone with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) approval to enter into engineering.
The approval moves the project forward in the capital grants program, which is anticipated to provide a significant share of the project’s overall funding. It also reaffirms FTA’s commitment to the project and their positive rating in such areas as cost effectiveness, technical capability, financial readiness, and effective land use planning.
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Entry into Engineering allows for the continuation of engineering and pre-construction activities, such as procurement of long-lead special trackwork for the project. Continued momentum allows Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix to maintain commitments to Phoenix voters by advancing the South Central project and completing significant portions of underground and roadway work in downtown ahead of Super Bowl 2023.
Valley Metro is seeking federal funding from FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program for the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub, which will provide a seamless connection between South Central Phoenix and the downtown core, serve a high-demand corridor, and provide convenient transfers across the regional rail system as part of the Downtown Hub.
A full funding grant agreement is expected in 2020. Pre-construction work, including street improvements to relieve congestion along 7th Street and 7th Avenue, is planned to begin in summer 2019. Relocation of underground utilities will begin in downtown Phoenix in fall 2019. Construction is scheduled for portions of the line in spring 2020.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
