Subject: Light rail on budget, on track for '08 
Date: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 11:00 PM

Light rail on budget, on track for '08 

Richard
Simonetta



My Turn
Jun. 6, 2006 12:00 AM 

It's a sound bite world. 

But 12-second sound bites and five-word headlines are simply not enough
to describe one of the largest, most complex and most transparent
public-works projects in Arizona history. 

Media reports based on a recent newspaper headline resulted in a lot of
misinformation and speculation about the status of the Metro light-rail
system. So let me offer a 12-second statement of my own: 

The Valley's light-rail system is on time, on budget and will carry
passengers in December 2008.

Construction of Metro is a complex, challenging job. The $1.4 billion
project involves the coordination of dozens of contracts to complete the
system. The major elements include 20 miles of utility relocations and
construction of track way; acquisition of more than 700 real estate
parcels; road and bridge reconstructions; installation of 148 traffic
signals; construction of a maintenance and storage facility;
construction of a bridge over Tempe Town Lake; installation of
light-rail power, signal and communication systems; and construction of
27 rail stations, four transit centers and seven park-and-ride lots.

It's the equivalent of 32 years of municipal street transportation
expenditures compressed into four years of construction, further
complicated by archaeological discoveries, unanticipated utility
relocations, lengthy legal processes for land acquisition, and
coordination with concurrent construction of other large public projects
such as the Phoenix Convention Center. 

The Metro project is being managed by light-rail experts from Arizona
and around the country. Our team includes municipal, federal and
private-sector partners, including a veteran group of contractors. We
have the resources in place to finance, build and operate the system. 

But there is still a great deal of work to be done. Over the next 30
months, there will be many internal changes made to the Metro
construction and system-testing schedules. These changes are part of the
normal, day-to-day process involved in the construction of a light-rail
system and are an appropriate means to mitigate issues we know will
continue to challenge us.

Our job is to anticipate and identify the problems and to implement
solutions that keep the project on schedule and on budget.

Metro and its partner cities, consultants and contractors will continue
to manage issues as they arise and will continue to keep the public
informed of progress. And while we may have to adjust construction
schedules several times along the way, we will meet the challenges and
will craft solutions to keep this project on time and on budget. 

I want to thank Valley residents and businesses for the patience and
understanding they have demonstrated during construction. I invite
everyone to hop on board on opening day in December 2008.

 

 

The writer is chief executive officer of Valley Metro Rail.