New Valley Metro light rail station to open in Phoenix this week
Apr 24, 2019, 5:45 PM | Updated: 9:58 pm
(Twitter/@MAGregion)
(Twitter/@MAGregion)
PHOENIX — Commuters in metro Phoenix will soon have an easier way to get around the Valley.
Valley Metro will unveil a new light rail station near 50th and Washington streets in east Phoenix to the public on Thursday.
The station will feature enhanced accessibility features, including wider sidewalks, longer ramps, enhanced shading and lighting elements and pedestrian camera detection at crosswalks.
“This is what accessibility looks like,” U.S. Rep. and former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said at a Wednesday event.
.@MayorGallego welcoming the first stop at the 50th St/Washington station. The train filled with @ability360 patients w/ disabilities who receive treatment right across the street empowering them to take responsibility for an independent lifestyle inside the community. @KTAR923 pic.twitter.com/42a0yKMHM8
— Ali Vetnar (@Ali_Vetnar) April 24, 2019
“Every truly important march towards progress encounters bumps in the road that require fortitude,” Mayor Kate Gallego said. “Phoenix’s push for accessible light rail for all is no different.”
The station is the first new one along the existing rail system and the first project from Transportation 2050 funds, Phoenix’s voter-approved half-cent transportation tax increase from 2015.
It is also in front of Ability360, a sports and fitness center that offers programs to help people with disabilities “achieve self-sufficiency.”
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The station will provide easier access to the more than 50 businesses in the area, serve those communities and support future development.
Crews broke ground on the light rail station in 2017. It was expected to cost $22.9 million to build.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ali Vetnar contributed to this report.
