Newsletter_Summer 2023_FINAL for web

PHX Sky Train® - Final Stage opens! PHOENIX – The PHX Sky Train® Stage 2 opened for passenger service Dec. 19, 2022. Stage 2 is the final stage of the System and includes an expansion of the System to the west side of the Airport, connecting to the Rental Car Center and a new 24th Street Station and economy parking lot. The System ends at a triple platform station at the Rental Car Center. This stage also includes a new center platform station, additional two and a half miles of dual lane guideway, expansion of the existing Maintenance & Storage Facility, 24 new vehicles, and retrofit of the existing 18 vehicles. Since the opening of Stage 2 all airport shuttle

New PHX Sky Train® station at the Rental Car Center Image credit: L+E

buses have been eliminated, relieving roadway and curbside congestion. The PHX Sky Train® is the focal point of the ground transportation system at PHX. The PHX Sky Train® program has been wildly successful and will enhance the passenger experience for years to come at America’s Friendliest Airport. The PHX Sky Train® operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The System operates with three-car consists on three minute headways. Previously, the trip time from the Rental Car Center to Terminal 4 by shuttle bus averaged 20-25 minutes. Now, the PHX Sky Train® carries passengers to Terminal 4 in less than eight minutes. This has vastly improved the passenger experience. Stage 1 of the PHX Sky Train® began passenger operations in April 2013. Stage 1A opened in December 2014. Lea+Elliott is the APM System Consultant for the PHX Sky Train®. As the Owner’s Representative for all three stages, Lea+Elliott was responsible for the system planning, development of the contract documents, procurement, manufacturing and construction oversight, implementation, and integration testing and commissioning. Lea+Elliott continues to provide support to the City of Phoenix for the Contractor’s additional scope of work and will perform an operations and maintenance audit and facility condition assessment for the existing System to assist Airport Operations maximize the System availability.

Inglewood is on the move INGLEWOOD - The Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) is considering three developer teams, each with a different automated transit technology, for the 1.6-mile long, automated transit system. The planned route is elevated above Market Street, Manchester Boulevard and Prairie Avenue, with three stops connecting LA Metro’s Downtown Inglewood Station with the Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium, the Intuit Dome, as well as the housing and commercial developments in Inglewood’s new Sports and Entertainment District. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) completed its review of the ITC Project’s environmental assessment in March 2023 and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact. In order to ensure it is delivering a project that meets the community’s needs, the City recently updated the locally preferred project alignment to co-locate the Maintenance and Storage Facility (MSF) at the Market Street Station site. This change minimizes impacts to the existing Vons supermarket, gas station and neighboring retail spaces at 500 E. Manchester Boulevard, the location originally envisioned for the MSF, allowing the community-serving uses to remain in their current locations without disruption. The City discussed this change at recent community open houses, which were held on March 29, 2023 and April 3, 2023, with more than 80 stakeholders in attendance. The forums also provided an opportunity to discuss the project’s scope, benefits, workforce opportunities and other components with a variety of residents and business owners. To facilitate this change, the ITC team prepared an addendum to the Project’s Final Environmental Impact Report, which was unanimously approved by the City Council on April 11, 2023. The City is also actively working with the FTA to complete a reevaluation in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. continued on p 4

Lea+Elliott attended the Stage 2 Grand Opening Event Dec. 19, 2022. From left to right: L+E President/CEO Jack Norton; L+E Associate Principal and Vice President Darryl Jaquess; City of Phoenix Special Projects Administrator Anne Kurtenbach; L+E Chairman and Executive Vice President Diane Woodend Jones, AIA, AICP; and L+E Project Engineer Christian Gonzales

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Vol. 30 No 1