By Mark Carlisle | YourWestValley
Representatives from Valley Metro appeared before city council Aug. 15 to discuss the future of the light rail in Glendale. While the chief issue discussed was where the last stop of the line would be, if and how the line would cross Grand Avenue and where the for the project would come from were also factors.
The proposed light rail, which would be completed in 2026, would be to connect Glendale to the existing high-capacity transit in Phoenix, which runs along 19th Avenue, just east of I-17. The Valley Metro Rail runs through downtown Phoenix, by the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, through Tempe and into Mesa in addition to connecting to other proposed light rails throughout the Valley.
“The reality is we’re not going to build more freeways inside the loops, but yet we’re going to grow and become more dense,” said Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith about the future of transportation in the Valley. “We’re going to have to move more people, and autonomous cars will not be able to do that by themselves.”