Infrastructure Week just before the Holidays in Phoenix: “The Future is Here”

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Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has often said “the future is here in Phoenix.”

Last week’s exciting infrastructure developments in the fifth-largest city in the country have proven again how right she has been with that forecast.

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Just before the holidays, the Mayor and Phoenix City Council Members have marked:

  • The approval to start purchasing new low to no-emission buses starting in the first quarter of 2023.
  • The expansion of Waymo rider-only autonomous vehicle services to Sky Harbor Airport.
  • The grand opening of Stage Two of the Phoenix Sky Train connecting all of Sky Harbor’s Terminals and the rental car center.
  • The start of the installation of the final stretch of the drought relief pipeline so residents and local businesses can access safe drinking water during shortages from the Colorado River.

Low to No Emission Buses will start to be Purchased in the First Quarter of 2023.

From Mayor Gallego’s Twitter Account

On December 14, 2022, Mayor Gallego and the Phoenix City Council formally approved the starting of the purchase of the first low to no-emission buses to replace high-pollutant-emitting ones in the first quarter of 2023.

The first low to no-emission buses should be on the road in 2025. The goal is to have all Phoenix buses at low to no emissions by 2040.

Sixteen million dollars in funding for these purchases come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Commenting on the approval, Mayor Gallego offered:

“Phoenix is charting an ambitious timeline. At this rate, low- and zero-emission buses will make up a third of our fleet in the next five years. Reducing pollution on our roadways is crucial for our region’s air quality, and this effort must be matched with the rapid decarbonization of the electric grid that powers these vehicles. Demonstrating success in our geography and climate will serve as a powerful model for communities across the country.”

Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari relayed:

This week’s votes show just how far we’ve come as a city in the past year when it comes to clean transportation. A year ago, the council was presented with a contract that did not consider low – or zero-emission options. This week, we passed one of the strongest zero-emission transition plans in the country.”

Later on social media, the Councilwoman posted:

 

Waymo Becoming the First to Deliver Autonomous Vehicle Service to Sky Harbor Airport.

Mayor Gallego made a grand entrance with Michelle Peacock from Waymo at the 44th Street Sky Train Station on December 16, 2022, arriving in a rider-only Waymo autonomous vehicle.

This is the first time that passengers in an autonomous vehicle have arrived at a major international airport.

In remarks at the event, the Mayor told attendees that “Phoenix is the first airport anywhere in the world to have autonomous service bringing people to our airport…We’ve entered a great new phase in service…Waymo is expanding the service in our community. It comes at such an exciting time for us. We want to be known as a city for innovation…The Waymo Vehicle does the driving for you…I enjoyed watching the interface where you can see every pedestrian, every car. You get to see what the vehicle sees and it makes me feel much safer because it can see so much more at once than I am able to see…We’ll be the first Super Bowl host committee where you can come to the Sky Train and take a Waymo to the downtown events for Super Bowl. A little bit of Phoenix History and we are really glad to be making global history in terms of leading the way with Waymo Vehicles providing this important autonomous service…”

Noting that the Waymo is an electrically charged vehicle, Mayor Gallego offered that the car is “consistent with our values around sustainability. We want to have zero tailpipe emissions and move forward as leaders in electric vehicles…This is just a further continuance of our commitment to greater sustainability. We’re glad to be an innovative city, taking some risks but hopefully delivering a better airport experience for our customers…”

Later on social media, Mayor Gallego posted:

Stage Two of the Phoenix Sky Train at Sky Harbor Opens Up.

From Mayor Gallego’s Twitter Account.

Mayor Gallego returned to Sky Harbor Airport on December 19, 2022, with other dignitaries like Phoenix Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari and Representative (and former Phoenix Mayor) Greg Stanton to launch the grand opening of Stage Two of the monorail Phoenix Sky Train at 24th Street connecting all of the airport’s terminals with the car rental center.

Saying “we did it,” Mayor Gallego thanked everyone who made this decades-long project possible, saying that with the new Sky Train line, customer service will increase five times (up to 79,000 people per day) and “is going to be a great welcome to the traveling public, a great first impression for our city.”

Mayor Gallego also pointed out that this project will help with protecting the environment saying Sky Harbor wants to be a “future-friendly airport…committed to reducing its environmental impact…the entire Stage Two Project, including stations, guideways, roadways achieved Envision goal status through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure…This project is a major win for sustainability removing extra traffic off Sky Harbor Boulevard, it will have an estimated reduction in Green House gases by 600 tons…”

From Mayor Gallego’s Twitter Account.

Representative and former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton spoke after Mayor Gallego and noted that infrastructure investments at Sky Harbor “always pays off for the economy.” After reminding everyone that he was Mayor of Phoenix when phase one of the Sky Train was under construction, Stanton expressed joy that there would be “no more waiting in line for Shuttle Buses” with the completion of Stage Two. He also spoke of the future projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan (about $600 million) for Sky Harbor that will boost the state’s economy because the airport is a “powerful economic engine” for Arizona.

Councilwoman Ansari spoke next and echoed Mayor Gallego’s point that the Sky Train would be a vital first impression for travelers of the City of Phoenix. She also noted, like Gallego before her, that this station would provide 22 electric vehicle charging stations. On this development, Ansari said this “highlights Sky Harbor’s and the City of Phoenix’s commitment to sustainability.” In terms of growth, Ansari relayed that “the Phoenix Sky Train will help us to better accommodate the growth and make visiting Phoenix as convenient and accessible as possible.” Like Representative Stanton, she happily reported the retirement of shuttle buses and the resulting effect of reduced emissions.

The Installation of The Final  Drought Relief Pipes in Phoenix. 

Today (December 21, 2022,) Mayor Gallego and other dignitaries were present at the commencement of the installation of the final drought relief pipes in the city.

When completed, these pipes (12 miles total) “will ensure all residents and businesses have access to safe, reliable, clean drinking water during times of shortage on the Colorado River.”

This development is increasingly important given the Tier Two Drought Status in the state and the possibility of rising to Tier Three in the future.

Commenting on social media, Mayor Gallego stated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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