Tempe seeks to boost appeal of streetcars
Plan seeks to include public art, avoid need for overhead wires
The vision for Tempe’s $177 million proposed downtown streetcar line includes hybrid cars that use batteries to avoid overhead wires on parts of the route along Mill and Ash avenues.
But some manufacturers of the vehicles say they can’t guarantee the batteries will have enough juice to handle both thoroughfares on hot summer days.
The city is working with Valley Metro, its partner on the project, to explore the wireless option for the portion of the streetcar line that will run along those avenues in the heart of downtown.
It is one of two ways the city wants to make the streetcar more aesthetically appealing.
Also included in the plan is a $735,000 allocation to add a piece of public art for each of the 14 streetcar stops planned along the 3-mile route. The art would be similar to the way public art has been installed at 28 light-rail stops across the Valley, including eight pieces in Tempe.
The entire project is contingent on a $75 million federal grant, which is included in President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for 2017. However, Congress has yet to act on the funding proposal. The Federal Transit Administration earlier this year made the recommendation to include the Tempe streetcar in the federal budget.
In addition to the $75 million in federal money, funding sources include a regional transportation sales tax adopted by Maricopa County voters, a local transit sales tax in Tempe and a Maricopa Association of Governments fund for projects that mitigate traffic congestion and improve air quality.
The streetcar system would start on Rio Salado Parkway and extend southward, looping between Mill and Ash, then continue south on Mill past Arizona State University to Apache Drive
“I think it’s well worth the investment . ... We’re building a community.’’ LAUREN KUBY TEMPE COUNCILWOMAN, ON THE CITY’S PLANNED STREETCAR PROJECT
and east to Dorsey Lane. The system would connect with two light-rail stops and share lanes with regular traffic.
Scott Smith, interim CEO of Valley Metro, told the City Council recently that should Congress not approve the funding in the new budget, the project must be resubmitted for authorization. That could delay the timeline of work starting next spring and a 2019 opening.
Valley Metro and city officials have received mixed feedback from potential bidders on the feasibility of having cars that run without overhead wires on both Mill and Ash between University and Rio Salado drives in the heart of downtown, Smith told the council earlier this month.
“We’re highly confident that Mill Avenue is a go because that’s what the manufacturers have told us,” Smith said, adding that all but one potential bidder expressed doubt that batteries had the capacity to handle the Ash line as well on extremely hot days.
Councilwoman Lauren Kuby noted a consultant’s study that concluded wireless cars could handle both streets. Smith assured her Valley Metro would brief potential bidders on those findings.
“I don’t want to see the wireless part of our streetcar short-shrifted. To have wires on Ash but not on Mill doesn’t make sense,” Kuby told The Arizona Republic.
While the council agreed to explore wireless options, not all are convinced both streets need the wireless cars.
“I think there’s a good argument to be made about why we shouldn’t have overhead wires on Mill. There are trees and other things there,” Councilman Kolby Granville said in an interview. “I’m not sure there is an overriding reason to have overhead lines on Ash. I’m willing to defer to the majority of the council.”
Granville said the most important factor is making sure the city acquires streetcars that don’t fail, even on the hottest days of the year.
Eric Iwersen, a city transportation planner, told The Republic that officials do not yet know the cost difference between wireless and battery options, but it may be minimal.
Wireless routes don’t require the poles and overhead electrical wires, but mounting batteries on the cars adds a cost. The city hopes to learn more from the bidders on the cost difference by this fall, he said, adding that the battery efficiency issue remains a concern.
“There are wireless trains that now exist in the country, but none are going as far as would be going with the Mill and Ash segment,” he said. “In addition to that, we have extreme temperatures in an urbanized setting, a lot of stop and go.”
The streetcar plan also sets aside $735,000 to pay for 14 pieces of public art — one for each planned streetcar stop. The art would be in four distinct zones along the route, Iwersen said during the council presentation.
The city will solicit proposals from artists for the work, with $52,500 set aside for each piece, he said, and hire one artist for each zone. The public and the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission will provide feedback on the proposals and make recommendations to the council.
Granville said the art expenditure, which comes from the Proposition 400 regional sales tax, shows Tempe’s commitment to arts and culture.
The city adopted a program in the early 1990s whereby Tempe commits funding to public art as part of a major capital improvement project. That policy mirrored an ordinance imposed on private developers who are required to devote a percentage of a large project’s cost toward a public art element.
“The city felt it’s not fair to require something of private business that we don’t do ourselves,” he said. “So when there’s a project that’s large, like a streetcar, a percentage must go to public art.’’
The city suspended its policy of contributing art to capital projects during the recession, but reinstated it last year, said Amanda Nelson, a city spokeswoman.
Granville likened the streetcar art to art elements at light-rail stops in Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa.
Kuby said the streetcar art will reflect the surrounding neighborhoods.
“Those (four) districts have a different kind of feel and a different kind of culture. I’m really interested to see what artists come up with to institutionalize that,” she said.
“I think it’s well worth the investment. We’re not just building infrastructure. We’re building a community.’’
In its report on the light-rail projects, Valley Metro says, “The Federal Transportation Agency encourages the inclusion of public art on light-rail systems because of its ability to contribute a sense of neighborhood pride near stations.”