Opposition from Republican state lawmakers has members of the Phoenix City Council concerned that a westward expansion of the light rail system — and the hundreds of millions of federal dollars that would help pay for it — is in jeopardy.
On Wednesday, the City Council’s transportation subcommittee chose not to endorse a future light rail extension near the state Capitol that would eventually tie into Interstate 10 in order to bring the public transit system to Maryvale and other West valley communities.
Three of the four members of the subcommittee — Councilmembers Debra Stark, Kevin Robinson and Kesha Hodge Washington — spoke favorably about plans to grow the light rail network that currently connects Phoenix with Tempe, Chandler and Mesa.
But the subcommittee voted to further investigate options to bring mass transit to the West Valley rather than recommend the full City Council adopt one of three Capitol routes proposed by city staff.
Stark, who chairs the committee, said she was “torn” over the vote.
But she indicated she ultimately chose not to select a Capitol route over concerns that it would anger the Republican lawmakers who control the state Capitol, many of whom are vocal light rail critics.
“I feel like the voters voted for it, and we should honor that,” Stark said. “But my biggest fear is the Legislature.”
She made the comments after committee members received letters from key Republican lawmakers openly calling on the city to avoid placing light rail tracks near the Capitol, which has been a part of the city’s plans for a decade since voters approved the transportation investment plan in 2015 that included the Capitol Loop and I-10 expansion.
“We are united in our opposition to any new light rail extensions,” according to a letter from Sen. President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) and House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear). “Light rail is costly and inefficient; construction has risen to $250 million per mile, while being used by less than 1% of the commuters in the Valley. Meanwhile, fare recovery only accounts for 7.6% of the cost, meaning taxpayers cover 90% of light rail expenses.”
City staff acknowledged that costs have skyrocketed, attributing much of that to a significant increase in construction costs that arose after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As it stands, the city expects the 1.3-mile extension around the Capitol to cost north of $600 million. Construction was expected to begin in 2027 and end in 2029.
History
For years, Phoenix planned to expand the light rail along Jefferson Street, a stone’s throw from the state Capitol.
But the Legislature threw a wrench into those plans in 2023, when a bill allowing the county to ask voters to approve a transportation sales tax included fine print banning any light rail expansion within 50 yards of the state Capitol complex.
“What I’m offended by is the idea that it would come, effectively, on Adams, loop around on 19th and come back on Jefferson,” former Republican House Speaker Ben Toma said at the time.
So, the city went back to the drawing board and explored other routes to bring light rail within the vicinity of the Capitol without violating that buffer zone.
At the Wednesday meeting, city staff asked the City Council subcommittee to consider three options, including two routes down 16th Avenue and another that would expand light rail along Seventh Avenue before intersecting with Interstate 10.
In the end, the subcommittee didn’t back any of those options, citing the opposition from Republican lawmakers.
That’s because, in addition to banning light rail next to the Capitol, the 2023 legislation also required the city to seek approval from the legislature’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee if it planned to place tracks and stations anywhere within the “Capitol mall,” which covers several streets in all directions around the Arizona Capitol.
Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) and Rep. David Livingston (R-Peoria), who chair that legislative committee, sent a letter to council members right as the meeting began saying they supported Petersen and Montenegro’s position.
“I wish to sate my full support for Speaker Montenegro and President Peterson’s position that there should be no new light rail extensions,” according to the letter
Livingston and Kavanagh said that if the project does move forward “the least objectionable option” would be to have a light rail line turn south down 15th Avenue and connect with Madison Street or Jackson Street. That is a slight modification from a route studied by city staff that would have moved down 16th Avenue.
That potential for compromise was cold comfort for Stark.
“There’s a lot of frustration right now for us as council members,” she said.
Councilmember Jim Waring, a former Republican lawmaker himself, said the opposition shouldn’t be surprising. He said GOP lawmakers have opposed placing light rail near the Capitol since he was at the Legislature over a decade ago.
And he warned his colleagues not to move forward with a plan that could antagonize those lawmakers, who have the power to kill the project altogether.
“They're flexing their muscles now by sending these letters. Ignore them at your peril,” Waring said. “We've done that before and gotten burned.”
Timing is everything
Rather than back one of those Capitol extension lines, the members of the subcommittee recommended the City Council “re-evaluate other economical and effective high-capacity transit alternatives to provide service to West Phoenix.”
But light rail supporters worry that further studying the issue — which has been approved multiple times by Phoenix voters over the past two decades — will essentially kill the project.
“The longer we delay, the less likely it will be that we ever start light rail again,” according to a statement from Councilwoman Anna Hernandez.
Delaying the project any further also puts millions of dollars in federal funding at risk.
Jessica Mefford-Miller, Valley Metro’s CEO, said the anticipated cost of expanding light rail around the Capitol is $624 million.
According to city documents, Phoenix is seeking around $250 million in capital investment grants from the Federal Transit Administration to offset those costs. The city is also asking for over $1.2 billion in federal grants to help pay for the $2.7-billion light rail expansion down Interstate 10.
The city faced an April 2025 deadline to apply for those monies but that was extended to April 2026 after lawmakers effectively banned the original extension loop around the Capitol.
Mefford-Miller said it may be possible the city could use the modified route suggested by Kavanagh and Livingston and still make that Capitol deadline.
“There weren't any, what I would call, critical path or damning concerns about going south on 15th Avenue,” she said. “So we can't commit to that, but I can tell you in terms of infrastructure and critical stakeholder and community feedback, it could potentially be viable.”
But, if city staff is forced to go back to the drawing board to reroute the extension out of the Capitol mall area entirely, it will be virtually impossible for them to make that deadline, which would take Phoenix out of the running for the over $1 billion in federal grants it is seeking to offset project costs.
City staff clarified FTA has not yet awarded grant money, so there’s no guarantee the city would receive that funding, with or without legislative interference, though Mefford-Miller said the project did receive a “medium-high” initial rating from the FTA
“This rating is certainly not a guarantee of federal funding, but it is an important milestone and a strong rating, as it shows that FTA considers capex to be a project worthy of consideration for a full funding grant agreement,” she said.
Broken promises
Supporters of the westward light rail expansion told Councilmembers that failing to begin the expansion project would amount to a broken promise to west valley residents.
Hernandez, the District 7 councilwoman and a former Democratic state senator, said she received positive feedback about the project from residents.
“The residents of West Phoenix and Maryvale, want and deserve the light rail,” according to Hernandez’s statement.
Hernandez, who backed legislation to address Arizona’s housing crisis, also argued the expansion would spur more homebuilding and development activity.
The subcommittee’s decision is only a recommendation.
The full City Council is scheduled to vote on Jan. 27 on whether to proceed with one of the planned Capitol routes. But, even if the council moves forward with the plans, the threats coming from Republican lawmakers loom over the projects.
There’s the legislative committee that has approval power over any lines that pass near the Capitol.
And, Stark said, there are also rumors lawmakers could consider a bill banning any light rail extension along Interstate 10 altogether when the legislature starts its next session in January.
So far, no lawmakers have proposed that bill and a spokesman for Petersen said they are not aware of any plans to do so by Republicans in the Senate.
If the Legislature does pass that type of legislation, Phoenix city staff indicated they would lobby Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto it.
“I haven’t heard about this and we typically don’t comment on legislation we haven’t reviewed,” Hobbs spokesman Christian Slater said in response.
Hobbs, who is up for reelection next year, has been generally supportive of efforts to improve public transportation.
“But in 13 months there could be a different governor working with this legislature,” Waring, the former lawmaker, reminded his fellow council members.
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