Valley Metro to solicit public input on modified route for Tempe streetcar

Valley Metro will host a public meeting Dec. 1 to solicit comments on its recommendations for the modified route, stop locations and traffic configuration for the proposed streetcar system in Tempe, Ariz.

The three-mile proposed locally preferred alternative includes a one-mile downtown counter-clockwise loop on Mill and Ash avenues connecting to bi-directional service along Apache Boulevard and Rio Salado Parkway, agency officials said in a press release.

In coordination with the city of Tempe, Valley Metro recommended a modified streetcar route to better meet new federal funding criteria and community goals, they said. The Tempe City Council supported the route recommendation for the streetcar project in June.

In April 2013, the Federal Transit Administration approved Valley Metro's plan to enter the development phase with the project under the federal Small Starts program, marking the first step in receiving federal project approval and ultimately federal funds to build the extension.