MESA, Ariz. — Planners in Mesa are in the process of pinpointing the best corridor to build a proposed five-mile streetcar route through the city's west side.
The city was awarded $920,000 earlier this year to begin examining how and where it could construct a new public transit route that hits multiple popular destinations in the city.
According to documents recently shown to the Mesa City Council, the recommended route would start at Riverview Park, then move south down Dobson Road to Banner Desert Medical Center, move east along Southern Avenue, then move north up Country Club Drive into the downtown area.
Jodi Sorrell, Mesa's transit services director, said several more steps need to happen before the project's built and estimated it not coming to fruition until 2035.
"These are really long-term projects," Sorrell said. "These projects take a long time."
Officials said they intend to spend the next few months collecting public feedback on the region they'll be examining for the streetcar route.
Mesa Vice Mayor Jenn Duff said she appreciates seeing a proposed project that could connect so many parts of Mesa's west side.
"I'm very excited about this. It's really pulling together the whole West Mesa and making it transit-oriented," Duff said this week.
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