PHOENIX — The long-awaited extension of Valley Metro's light rail system into northwest Phoenix will open on Jan. 27.
The 1.6-mile Northwest Extension Phase II project expands light rail service farther into northwest Phoenix, running west from 19th and Dunlap Avenues, going north on 25th Avenue, then west on Mountain View Road while crossing the I-17 freeway to the area around the Metrocenter Mall redevelopment.
The extension project includes the first elevated rail station, a rail-only bridge over I-17 and seven community-driven public art installations. The project also includes a transit center named in honor of former Phoenix Mayor and Councilmember Thelda Williams, who also served as Chair of Valley Metro Rail.
Valley Metro hopes the extension boosts light rail ridership, which hasn’t fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.
“We know that the ridership is here in this area,” spokesperson Juliana Vazquez-Keating said. “That’s why they started planning to build this extension over a decade ago”
Project manager Tony Santana told ABC15 that safety is a top priority at the new transit center. He said three security guards will be on duty.
“Make sure the riders in this area, because it is such a large facility, are safe,” Santana said. “We have a full-time presence here along with our cameras, our lighting that we typically designed as part of these projects.”
Construction on the project began in 2020 and will go into service two years ahead of its original 2026 projected opening date.
