Councilmembers Betty Guardado (D5), Anna Hernandez (D7) and Laura Pastor (D4) participated in a Nov. 12 community meeting with Valley Metro to discuss light rail extensions that would connect West Phoenix to the broader Valley (photo courtesy of Valley Metro).
At its Dec. 17 meeting, the City of Phoenix Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee voted to reevaluate high-capacity transit options to reach the West Valley, rather than move forward with an adjusted route for the already approved Capitol Light Rail Extension (CAPEX), which will serve as the connection between the existing downtown Phoenix line and the future I-10 West Light Rail Extension (10WEST).
Councilmembers Kevin Robinson (D6), Debra Stark (D3) and Jim Waring (D2) voted for the reevaluation – citing concerns ranging from state pushback to funding certainty at the federal level, among others. District 8 Councilmember Kesha Hodge Washington abstained from the vote, commenting that she wanted to hear from councilmembers in the impacted districts (4, 5 and 7) before deciding. The full council will make a decision at a Jan. 27 policy meeting. The timing is critical – an April 2026 deadline to complete the federal funding process looms.
Transit connecting the West Valley to downtown and beyond has always been part of the plan – going as far back as 1978 when the I-10 was built and a 50-foot median separating the east and westbound lanes was designated for transit use. Fast forward to 2000, when Phoenix voters passed a transit plan that included a light rail route along the I-10 corridor from downtown Phoenix to 79th Avenue. In 2004, county voters passed Proposition 400, which included an 11-mile “West Phoenix transit corridor.”
After public input, much discussion and environmental assessments were made, a Capitol/I-10 West Extension route was approved in 2012. Voters approved Phoenix’s T2025 plan in 2015, which also included the extension. In 2016, the Phoenix City Council phased the project into two extensions. They further reexamined the route from 2017-2019 and in 2021, approved a new route for the CAPEX that would consist of a single track loop along Washington and Jefferson, connecting from the existing downtown line to 19th Avenue, where it would jog north to Van Buren to connect with the 10WEST phase.
10WEST would run along that I-10 median until moving to the north side of the freeway before a 51st Avenue station, eventually connecting to the Desert Sky Transit Center at Thomas Road and 79th Avenue. Proposed stations on or adjacent to the I-10 include 35th, 51st, 59th, 67th and 79th avenues.
CAPEX was accepted into the project development phase by the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant – a key process to secure the estimated 39 percent of federal funding needed.
Voters have time and again supported light rail and these extensions specifically. So, why is the council once again reevaluating this route? One answer lies in SB 1102, signed into state law on Aug. 11, 2023, which “prohibits public monies from being used to extend light rail service in Phoenix to the area of 17th Avenue on the East, Adams Street on the North, 18th Avenue on the West and Jefferson Street on the South, and any property within 50 linear yards of that area” – effectively cutting off access to the approved route.
The city and Valley Metro went back to the drawing board and came up with three alternative CAPEX routes that would satisfy the requirements of SB 1102 and allow connection to the I-10. Along with those three alternatives – created through community feedback and environmental and economic studies – came a question posed to Council: should the city choose an updated CAPEX route and stay on track with the funding request or should they reevaluate high-capacity transit options serving West Phoenix, thus stepping out of line for funding and further delaying high-capacity transit service to the area.
After the city and Valley Metro launched a fall public outreach campaign, the answer from the residents who weighed in was clear: 62 percent were in favor of moving forward with the current CAPEX timeline, which would put construction somewhere around 2028-29. The same sentiment was expressed to the subcommittee before it voted to reevaluate.
Three more public meetings will be held (two Jan. 8 and one Jan. 15) prior to the Jan. 27 Phoenix council policy meeting.
Residents who would like to participate in the discussion will find background information, a feedback form and a calendar of upcoming in-person and virtual meetings at www.valleymetro.org/capex.
