With Tempe Streetcar track in place, Mill Avenue set to reopen on schedule

PHOENIX – With construction for the Tempe Streetcar on track, northbound Mill Avenue through downtown is set to reopen as scheduled, Valley Metro announced.

The closure, which has been in effect from University Drive to Rio Salado Parkway since May 13, will be lifted Friday, clearing the road before fall classes start next week at nearby Arizona State University.

“With the completion of track work in this section, nearly half of the streetcar track is in the ground, a significant milestone in bringing the Valley’s first streetcar to the community,” Mayor Mark Mitchell said in a press release.

After Mill is reopened, the weekly “Hard Hat Thursday” deal program to promote area businesses while traffic was restricted will come to an end.

You should jam on it and head to Mill Ave in @DowntownTempe for AMAZING deals 🤩 This is your last chance to snag these Hard Hat Thursday 👷‍♂️👷‍♀️ deals. See a full list of deals ➡️ https://t.co/Pusj8wgdgY pic.twitter.com/7oQJLDmvre

— Valley Metro (@valleymetro) August 15, 2019

“This summer was a great example of how residents, businesses and a construction team can work together to minimize the temporary impacts in order to ultimately connect communities and enhance lives,” Luis Mota, Valley Metro program manager, said in the release.

Crews worked six days a week in the summer heat, with workers often staying for double shifts, to complete the segment on time, the release said.

“The downtown Mill Avenue section of track is one of the most challenging on the Tempe Streetcar Project,” Andy Auxier, project manager with contractor Stacy and Witbeck, said in the release.

“We knew a big push this summer would be a tall order for our team, but it was best for the community.”

Southbound Mill traffic wasn’t restricted during the work.

Scheduled to begin operations in 2021, the hybrid battery-powered Tempe Streetcar will cover 3 miles along Rio Salado Parkway, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard with 14 stops and two connections to Valley Metro light rail.

The project’s price tag is about $200 million, with most of the funding coming from the Proposition 400 regional sales tax. The project received $75 million in federal grant funding.

The next streetcar-related work on Mill Avenue, to install stops, won’t be until next summer. That work won’t require significant traffic restrictions, according to the release.

Follow @KTAR923