Tempe Streetcar project getting final $25 million in federal grant money
Nov 28, 2018, 4:25 PM
(Valley Metro)
(Valley Metro)
PHOENIX – The Tempe Streetcar project is getting the final $25 million it requested in federal grant money, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
The Valley Metro project is under construction and will provide 3 miles of service in the downtown Tempe and Arizona State University area. It’s scheduled to open in 2021.
The grant is through the department’s Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program.
The cost of the Valley’s first modern streetcar line will total $201.9 million, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release.
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It is being funded through federal grants, Maricopa County’s Proposition 400 and local private-public partnerships.
The $25 million completes the project’s request for $75 million from the CIG program, after $50 million was approved in 2017.
The full grant amount was initially designated in former President Barack Obama’s federal budget in 2016.
In August, Valley Metro received federal approval to move ahead with the first phase of significant construction for the streetcar.
The approval allowed the regional public transportation agency to start work on the system’s rail track, power systems and street improvements.
The hybrid battery-powered streetcar will run mainly on Apache Boulevard, Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway on a route with 14 stops and two connections to the Valley Metro light rail system.
