Subject: Transportation alternatives studied - Queen Creek pushes parkway, commuter rail plans
Date: Monday, April 24, 2006 12:05 PM

Friends,

Below is an article about traffic congestion in the Southeast Valley.
It also mentions the need for commuter rail in the region.

Speaking of commuter rail, this Friday, the Arizona Transit Association
(AzTA) is hosting a full-day symposium on commuter rail.  The event will
be held at Tempe Mission Palms Hotel.  I'm obviously biased, but we
think it will be VERY interesting and informative - something all of our
friends would benefit from attending.

To learn more about the symposium, please visit AzTA's website at
www.azta.org.

David
david@frientsoftransit.org

  _____  

Transportation alternatives studied 

Queen Creek pushes parkway, commuter rail plans 

Mike Walbert and Lisa Nicita 
The Arizona Republic 
Apr. 21, 2006 12:00 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/0421st-transit04.html

Faced with walls of slow-moving traffic during rush hour, Queen Creek
officials are working on two different options that they hope will get
people to where they want to be without the headache. They think a
proposed parkway could funnel traffic away from town, and the prospect
of a commuter rail line could ease congestion on the roads.

"We have to have more routes," said Cynthia Seelhammer, town manager.
"Even with expansions, there is still not enough capacity." 

Queen Creek and Pinal County have battled with sometimes crippling
rush-hour gridlock as residential and commercial development outpaces
road infrastructure. More than 100,000 homes have been approved and
zoned in the Santan area, said John Kross, assistant town manager.

Commuter rail 

The Maricopa Association of Governments, on behalf of a stakeholders
group that includes Queen Creek, is conducting a feasibility study on
the idea of a commuter rail.  Queen Creek Town Council passed a
resolution in December that authorized staff to look into alternative
transit methods, which include buses and commuter rail. The resolution
expressly stated that the council was not in support of light rail.
"Since the railroad goes right through our community, it would be a
direct benefit to our community," said Queen Creek senior management
assistant Mark Young.

The stakeholders, who represent cities stretching from Peoria to Mesa,
recently met for the first time. Eric Anderson, transportation director
for MAG, said commuter rail isn't that crazy of an idea. He said there
has already been some discussion with some of the major rail players in
the Valley, and at least one has shown a "fairly high level" of
interest. "It could possibly happen," Anderson said. "It's going to take
political will and money, of course. More money than people think."

Anderson said numerous crossings would need to be upgraded throughout
the Valley to prepare the railroad for commuter traffic. And, Union
Pacific, which owns the track running through Queen Creek, would have to
be more involved with discussions. Passenger facilities would also have
to be located and planned. It's a big project, but Anderson said he
hopes the feasibility study will be completed within the next 12 months.

A new parkway 

Queen Creek has had discussions with Rep. Andy Biggs, chair of the House
Transportation Committee, about getting $500,000 to $750,000 to perform
a design study on a proposed 10-to-12-mile parkway cutting vertically
through the town. Young said Biggs would see if the request could be
added to the budget. "It was an opportunity to get our story out," Young
said. "We're not dead, but we'll see." Biggs said he is hoping a sizable
chunk of the state's estimated $1 billion budget surplus can be used to
speed up freeway and road projects, such as widening Interstate 10 in
the West Valley or to fund new highways in Pinal County.

However, as budget discussions churn at the Legislature, other lawmakers
are looking at providing tax cuts with the surplus. Hamstrung by county
lines and landlocked by the Santan Mountains, state trust land and
Williams Gateway Airport, Queen Creek is viewing the drudgery of the
daily commutes as a regional problem. "We just don't have the options
like other places," Seelhammer said. Take Hunt Highway near Gary Road.
The area's daily traffic counts surged to 17,752 vehicles in 2005 versus
2,400 vehicles in 2000, according to county and state transportation
agencies. More traffic has forced people to leave homes earlier for work
and endure stop-and-go traffic.

Queen Creek resident Rosie Bernal is one of those people. Bernal, who
works in downtown Phoenix, leaves for work at 5:30 a.m. Her average trip
is nearly two hours one way. "We try different streets to see which ones
are the best," Bernal said. "With the construction, it makes it really,
really bad." 

Queen Creek is working with Pinal County on the proposed parkway. It
would run along Signal Butte Road, beginning just south of Williams
Field Road to just south of Ocotillo Road, before turning southeast near
Rittenhouse Road and crossing the county line.