Tempe Streetcar Project

GENERAL INFORMATION

 2021 Opening Date  14 planned stops, including two connecting with  The 14 stops feature art that incorporate themes conveyed from the surrounding businesses, landmarks and neighborhoods.  The route starts on Rio Salado Parkway at the Marina Heights development (State Farm), moves west to Ash Avenue, south down Ash Avenue to University Drive, to Mill Avenue, continuing south to Apache Blvd., then turning east to the Dorsey/Apache Light Rail Station. On its return trip to Marina Heights, route goes north on Mill Avenue to Rio Salado Parkway.  Streetcar vehicles are smaller than light rail vehicles and operate individually, not linked together in trains.  Streetcar vehicles are being built by Brookville Equipment Corporation. Brookville is a Pennsylvania- based transportation vehicle manufacturer and are the only maker of streetcars to design and manufactured exclusively in the United States.  Each streetcar vehicle will be able to accommodate approximately 125 passengers.  Modern streetcars are known to be quieter than bus & light rail vehicles.  The Tempe Streetcar primarily has shared lanes with street traffic.  A streetcar stop is equal to about 2-3 parking spaces.  The $200 million dollar project has been programmed using a mix of federal, regional and local funds, including $13 coming from an unprecedented partnership between the City of Tempe, ASU, employers and major property owners in downtown Tempe and the Rio Salado corridor.

WHY A STREETCAR?

 Tempe is already one of the highest public transit ridership centers in the region and it's important to continue building for the future. The Streetcar adds another efficient transit option that supports growing travel demand and business interest in Tempe and throughout the region.  Roadways are near capacity and there is a need for a public transit option, more robust than what a bus route could provide.  Following a high-capacity transit study of the area, it was determined that there is a need for high- capacity transit and Tempe was interested in streetcar, which fits the need and the environment, especially with the route going on Mill Avenue.  The Tempe Mesa Streetcar System Study is underway to look at options for expansion.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

 The three-mile modern streetcar alignment serves downtown Tempe, historic and redeveloping neighborhoods, State University and the emerging Rio Salado corridor.  Tempe Streetcar connects strong historic neighborhoods, newer multi-family residential developments, major business centers and regional entertainment/event destinations. It also connects and adds to the comprehensive transit network in Tempe inclusive of buses, circulators, light rail and bicycle/pedestrian amenities.  Tempe Streetcar supports a projected increase in travel demand along the highly populated Mill Avenue corridor. Tempe Streetcar will connect neighborhoods, entertainment venues and employment centers to downtown Tempe.  Since streetcar will operate mostly in shared traffic, existing street parking will not need to be removed unless the space is needed for a streetcar stop or to provide an adequate turning radius.  The off-wire option fits in the Tempe landscape with the abundance of trees on Mill Avenue, allowing Tempe to maintain the character and pedestrian environment of the downtown area.  With two connection points to , this will allow use of the regional transit system, reducing roadway traffic.

FUN FACTS

 Approximately 17,000 CY of concrete will be poured between track slab, sidewalks, PCC roadway, and OCS foundations. (Concrete trucks hold 9 -10 CY of concrete. 1 CY of concrete= 4,000 lbs. 68 million pounds. Equal to approximately 160 fully loaded 767s.)  Approximately 16,000 tons of asphalt will be placed. (African elephants weigh 6 tons on average. 32 million pounds. Equal to approximately 2,667 elephants.)

Find out more at www.valleymetro.org/project/tempe-streetcar