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Congratulations to WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter 2023 Innovative Transportation Solutions Project of the Year, the Tempe Streetcar Project by Valley Metro.

Tempe Streetcar is the first modern streetcar line in the Valley. It serves one of the highest transit ridership centers in the region and connects riders to neighborhoods, major business centers, and regional events and destinations. 

We asked project representatives to share more about how the project started and who will benefit the most.

Can you give us a brief overview of the project and its timeline?

Initial studies for a streetcar in Tempe began in 2008. Planning efforts began in 2014 and construction followed in 2018. Valley Metro Streetcar opened for operation in Tempe, Arizona on May 20, 2022.  This is the first modern streetcar in the Maricopa County region and the first new transit mode launched in the system since 2008. Streetcar operates mostly in mixed traffic, where travel lanes are shared by other users of the roadway. This offers the bus-like accessibility of smaller, more integrated and frequent stop locations, with the reliability and familiarity of light rail service. The route is three miles and allows travel to major destinations, including the Rio Salado redevelopment areas and Marina Heights, which employs nearly 10,000 workers; ASU’s main campus as well as their athletic and performing arts facilities; the downtown Mill Avenue retail area; and a strong and active residential community living in popular, historic neighborhoods and high-density developments.

How is this project improving access to transportation in our region?

Tempe boasts the highest transit ridership per capita in Maricopa County and most roadways within the city are at capacity. Since the project opened, streetcar has provided more than 300,000 sustainable trips to students, residents, tourists and employees across downtown Tempe. According to project projections, streetcar will eventually provide 1,700 daily linked trips, which will prevent the emission of 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide each day. Streetcar adds another tool to the region’s transportation network and provides greater commute choice and transit connections to a growing audience in downtown Tempe and the region at large.

What lessons did the project team learn from incorporating new and innovative design elements?

Along a majority of the route, streetcars are powered by an electrified overhead wiring system. However, in order to preserve the historical character and the iconic tree canopy along Mill Avenue, which also contributes to the health and aesthetics of downtown Tempe, streetcar travels off-wire along that portion of the route. Instead of overhead power, it utilizes energy from its lithium-ion battery that’s generated from the on-wire sections. The off-wire technology is remarkable, especially for this streetcar that operates in such a warm environment.

While the hybrid vehicle allowed for different operating conditions and maintained the city’s tree canopy, it challenged existing operational procedures.  The project team utilized existing train-to-wayside communications system to automate the pan-up/pan-down procedure for the off-wire section. This allowed for more consistent operations between the traditional light rail trains and hybrid streetcar vehicles.

What role(s) did women play on the project and how did they contribute to its successful completion?

The number of women from initiation to completion of Tempe Streetcar is significant. The women with key roles involved over the course of the project and its multiple phases include: Shelly Seyler – City of Tempe, Amanda Nelson – City of Tempe, Cathy Hollow – City of Tempe, Jennifer Pyne – Valley Metro, Jordan Brackett – Valley Metro, Bree Boehlke – Valley Metro, Mary Ann Miller – Valley Metro/HDR, Jessica Parks – Valley Metro/WSP, Madeline Phipps – Valley Metro, Debbie Thacker – Valley Metro, MB Finnerty – Valley Metro, Michelle Vestal – Valley Metro, Haley Garcia – Valley Metro, Crystal Lewis – Valley Metro, Susanna Hernandez – Valley Metro, Adrian Ruiz – Valley Metro, Audrey Unger – Valley Metro/HDR, Tricia Cook – Stantec and Stephanie McVey – HDR.

One key element of building the new streetcar alignment that is often overlooked and behind the scenes was the crossover of the light rail tracks. This phase of work was the first time Valley Metro cut into the existing light rail alignment to tie in a new alignment.

Thanks to around-the-clock work by contractor Stacy and Witbeck, along with the Valley Metro project team and operations staff, the installation of the streetcar and light rail crossings at Ash and Mill avenues was completed on January 4, 2020, in advance of a January 6 deadline. Operations resumed from single tracking to normal operations on January 6, 2020.

Female leadership involved include: Debby Thacker – Valley Metro Manager Operations, Bree Boehlke – Valley Metro Community Outreach Program Coordinator, Adrian Ruiz – Director of Safety and Security, Crystal Lewis – Valley Metro, Mayra Almazan -- Stacy and Witbeck, – Cathy Hollow – City of Tempe, Shelly Seyler – City of Tempe and Amanda Nelson – City of Tempe

What advice and suggestions would you have for other project teams considering innovation in their projects?

This project impacted a busy corridor in Tempe, ranging from high-density residences to large corporate offices. It was very important to provide a robust stakeholder outreach program and it was clear that simple and early communication on a project of this duration and complexity would need to be supported by a vigorous outreach plan.  This plan was implemented to keep the project stakeholders informed of impacts and progress.  Most issues were mitigated through stakeholder engagement before the specific work impacts occurred. This allowed the project team to proactively address issues instead of reactively having to address complaints. Both business assistance and public involvement teams kept the public continuously informed of the impacts and thereby also generating public support for the ultimate outcome.

Additionally, the project team was able to integrate and utilize cloud-supported technology that allowed all team members including field supervision, office management, construction management and public information to utilize real-time data to work from the same project information.  Projects such as this create an incredible amount of information that is continually updated to reflect current conditions and allows all project team members to work in real time, which greatly reduced misunderstandings and communication of out-of-date information. The availability of real-time project data also helped save a substantial amount of administrative time.