Above: Photo courtesy of Stormer Creative.
By AZRE | AZ Big Media
The Tempe Streetcar, a $102 million project that began construction in 2017, is nearing completion and is expected to be operational in mid-2021. The Streetcar will have capacity for 125 passengers and six vehicles will be traveling along the three-mile double track alignment that borders Arizona State University campus and will run in-street from Rio Salado Parkway down Apache Boulevard with a single-track loop around Mill Avenue and the downtown district. In addition, Tempe Streetcar includes two crossing of the existing light rail line and a tie-in to the light rail at the southern terminus.
Although the pandemic has slowed much down, the construction of the Tempe Streetcar remained on schedule and will begin testing in early 2021.
Amanda Nelson, public information officer for the City of Tempe Transportation department, said with the onset of COVID-19, many Tempe employers have had employees working remotely and ASU has had remote learning, so traffic was reduced in Tempe and subsequently, the construction area for the Tempe Streetcar.
