The Phoenix City Council is preparing to vote on whether to extend light rail service to the West Valley as Republican state lawmakers who oppose the move ramp up their threats to derail the project.
The city is up against an upcoming deadline to approve the next light rail phases, which include an expansion from downtown Phoenix to the area around the state Capitol. From there, the line would connect with Interstate 10 to reach the West Valley.
Both projects, expected to cost over $3 billion, will rely heavily on federal transportation grants, and the city must finish applying for those funds by April.
But, last month, a City Council subcommittee voted against recommending that the full council greenlight the projects due to ongoing threats from Republican state lawmakers, who have ardently opposed light rail expansion and have the power to nix certain light rail lines near the Capitol.
‘Shameful’
That subcommittee vote angered elected officials who represent the West Valley communities that would gain light rail access through the proposed expansion.
Sen. Analise Ortiz (D-Maryvale) said many residents in her district rely on public transit. She also argued the new lines would increase access to housing, healthcare and job opportunities.
“There are often long delays with the buses or other barriers,” Ortiz said. “And we live in the fifth-largest city in the country. It is absolutely shameful that we are having a conversation right now about potentially killing the future of light rail.”
The subcommittee vote was not the final say on the matter but it does indicate the project faces stiff headwinds.
The council members who sit on the committee, with the exception of Republican Jim Waring, generally spoke favorably about light rail, but said they feared that GOP legislative leaders would make good on their threats to block the Capitol extension, which would be a key connector allowing for the future expansion west.
“I feel like the voters voted for it, and we should honor that,” Councilwoman Debra Stark said. “But my biggest fear is the Legislature.”
Stark made the comments after GOP legislative leaders sent multiple letters opposing any expansion around the state Capitol.
“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.”
Republican roadblocks
Those letters were just the latest in a yearslong effort by Republicans to keep light rail away from the Capitol.
Back in 2023, they banned the use of public money to expand light rail within 50 yards of the Capitol complex. Democrats introduced a bill this year to repeal that restriction, though it is unlikely to gain traction at the GOP-controlled Legislature.
The three light rail lines currently being considered by the City Council would avoid that zone, though other roadblocks still exist.
For instance, any route within the “Capitol mall” would still be subject to review by House and Senate committees controlled by Republican lawmakers.
And Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) introduced new legislation that would significantly expand the area around the Capitol where light rail is banned completely. If passed into law, that would effectively block all three routes currently proposed by Phoenix city staff.
Mesnard is a longtime light rail critic.
“But setting that all aside, the idea of tearing up the surrounding area of the Capitol would just be sad to me,” he said. “I think we need to have a little more reverence for it.”
Mesnard said the council members shouldn’t be surprised by the opposition and that he dropped his bill ahead of the vote to give the city a “heads-up.”
“Some of it was prompted by seeing some of the possible pathways that folks were considering, and I thought even just putting a bill out there would maybe discourage some of the options that were going to run so much closer to the Capitol,” he said.
Sen. John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) introduced another bill that would ban the state from helping to pay for any light rail expansion and direct the Department of Transportation to study how the cost of light rail compares to other transit options.
Oritz, the Democratic lawmaker, said public transportation shouldn’t be a political issue.
“Public transit should not be a partisan issue, and it is really concerning that Republicans continue to attack light rail when so many people rely on it, including senior citizens, veterans, people with disabilities,” Ortiz said. “We need to ensure if we're going to be a serious city when it comes to economic development and growth, that we are investing in public transit.”
The bill would need to be signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, Ortiz’s fellow Democrat, to become law.
Hobbs signed the existing 50-yard buffer zone into law in 2023 as part of larger negotiations with Republicans to renew a Maricopa County transportation sales tax, though Democrats are generally supportive of expanding light rail access.
Christian Slater, Hobbs’ spokesman, declined to comment.
Broken promises
Rather than move forward with one of the proposed expansion projects, the subcommittee suggested the council should continue to study new public transit options for the West Valley.
But supporters of the light rail expansion say that just kicks the can down the road and breaks a promise to Phoenix voters, who approved a transportation investment plan in 2015 that included the Capitol Loop and I-10 expansion.
“The city of Phoenix and Valley Metro have many tools available to them in order to continue financing this project that voters have approved,” Ortiz said. “These threats are not legitimate. They are an excuse to continue leaving west Phoenix out of the conversation.”
The Phoenix City Council is scheduled to vote on the expansion projects on Jan. 27.
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