Phoenix light rail project will get another $100 million from the federal government, Trump announces

Plans for expanding the Valley’s light rail system got a prominent boost from an unlikely place on Thursday as President Donald Trump touted that the federal government is committing another $100 million to the South Central Avenue extension. —

“Very exciting news for the Phoenix area,” the president wrote on Twitter, announcing the U.S. Department of Transportation's continued help with paying for a 5-mile expansion of the current light rail network.

Trump noted that the extension down Central Avenue into south Phoenix will include nine new stations “connecting underserved areas to churches, emergency services, and more!”

But there was political irony in the glowing tweet.

Some of the president’s most ardent supporters on the local political scene have been some of the most vocal opponents of plans to expand the light rail system.

Conservative groups and politicians, like the Arizona Free Enterprise Club and Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio, backed a ballot measure last year that would have halted funding for the light rail expansion.

Voters overwhelmingly defeated the proposal at the polls.

The funding announced by the president on Thursday is the Federal Transit Administration's second $100 million infusion for the South Central project. The federal government provided the first $100 million installment last year.

Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix have requested over $500 million in potential federal funding for the project, which is expected to cost about $1.3 billion and open for operations in 2024.

Valley Metro officials welcomed the president's nod to the light rail project.

"The federal government's continued support of public transportation ensures that a multi-modal transportation network in Maricopa County is viable for future generations and can support the million more people expected in this region in the years to come," said Valley Metro spokesperson Madeline Phipps.

Contact Andrew Oxford at andrew.oxford@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @andrewboxford.