Feds Advance $158M For Northwest Light Rail Extension Phase II

PHOENIX, AZ — The U.S. Department of Transportation has advanced a $158 million Capital Investment Grant for Valley Metro’s Northwest Light Rail Extension Phase II to Congress for review.

This grant will complete the funding necessary for this project, Phoenix officials said. The total cost of the second phase is $401 million, which includes $213 million in local Transportation 2050 funding; $30 million from regional transportation sales tax funds; and the $158 million federal grant in the pipeline. The final grant signing is anticipated in early November.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the project will now be able to meet its intended goal: to breathe new life into the neighborhoods around Metrocenter.

“Projections tell us this new section of rail will serve 5,700 daily riders, and that the majority of riders will come from households without cars, opening up new options for good jobs and a good education,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “This will stand as a legacy project in Councilmember Ann O’Brien’s district, and for Councilmember Laura Pastor, who I recently appointed to represent Phoenix on the Valley Metro Rail Board of Directors.”

According to local authorities, the NWE II will give new communities greater access to major destinations along the existing light rail line. Those destinations include educational institutions, employment centers, entertainment amenities as well as the airport. The extension also will link the West Valley to high-capacity transit as a convenient and reliable travel option.

A 1.6-mile extension will also connect the current end-of-line located at 19th Avenue and Dunlap to Metrocenter Mall at approximately 29th Avenue and Dunlap. The project also includes three transit stations, a multi-modal transit center, a parking garage and extensive public art.

Work on the Northwest Light Rail Extension Phase II is expected to be complete in 2024.