$15.9 million federal grant awarded to Valley Metro for Streetcar expansion

Valley Metro will receive a $15.9 million grant to help it expand its streetcar system.

Rep. Greg Stanton announced June 25 that Valley Metro would receive a federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant, funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to advance the Rio East-Dobson Streetcar Extension.

The REDE project will expand the existing 3-mile Valley Metro Streetcar by an additional 4.35 miles, extending it from Tempe into Mesa, a Tempe city release stated.

RAISE grant funds will be used to complete design and environmental work for the project.

“Residents of both cities will soon have more options to get to work, take their children to school, or enjoy a spring training game in another city," Tempe Vice Mayor Jennifer Adams stated in the release.

Adams currently sits on Valley Metro board, where she serves as the vice chair of the Valley Metro RPTA Board and is a member of the Audit Finance Subcommittee.

“This initial investment is recognition of the streetcar’s potential to boost economic development in Mesa, just as it has in Tempe,”  Stanton stated in the release.

Leaders from Mesa, Tempe and Valley Metro praised the grant award announcement in the release.

"The Rio East-Dobson Streetcar Extension will not only enhance connectivity between Tempe and Mesa but also provide vital high-capacity transit options for historically underserved areas,” Mesa Mayor John Giles stated in the release.