Light rail expansion: Construction work in Downtown Phoenix starting to ease up
Light rail construction begins to ease up in Downtown Phoenix
While the light-rail extension project that will bring a new light rail line from Downtown Phoenix to South Phoenix is not expected to be complete until 2024, construction work that brought gridlock to parts of Downtown Phoenix in recent weeks are starting to ease up. FOX 10's Linda Williams reports.
PHOENIX - It has been years since the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub light rail project began, and with the project also came construction work that invariably inconveniences people.
At one point in time, light rail construction in the Downtown Phoenix area led to gridlock on some major streets and city officials acknowledges that light rail construction has caused some headaches for those near the Downtown Phoenix core, on major streets like Washington and Jefferson.
On Dec. 20, officials say work in at least parts of Downtown Phoenix are pretty much done.
"If you were here about two weeks ago, you would have seen our sea of orange, going all the way from 4th Avenue to 5th Street," said Markus Coleman, the Light Rail Administrator for the City of Phoenix.
That ‘sea or orange’ has since parted, and fresh pavement is down as construction work wraps up along Washington Strreet.
While roads will become less congested, the 5.5-mile light rail extension project will not be completed until 2024.
The extension will connect south Phoenix to the regional light rail system, which operates from downtown Phoenix to Baseline Road.
The project will also include a downtown hub, eight new stations with public art, repaved streets and new landscaping.
Construction in Cityscape (Valley Metro)