The transit plan,will bring a 20.3-mile long loop of light-rail trains through Phoenix into Tempe and onto Mesa, failed to make it onto the spring list for funding by the Federal Transit Authority. The project received a "no rating" because local planners haven't yet completed reports required to qualify it for 50% federal matching funds.
Disjointed ridership projections are one of the reasons why the plans didn't receive a rating. A favorable rating allows a project to proceed to the final design stage, while Congress determines how much money can be allocated for it in the fiscal year that begins Oct.1.
"The FTA is looking at the massive population growth that's happened in our region, they're looking at our ridership forecasts, and they're saying they don't seem to match," says Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano.
Computer models that will help provide a more accurate projection of ridership are under development and should be completed in time to have a full proposal ready by the summer, says Wolf Grote, rail project director. A rating is expected by August.
A rating of "recommended" or "highly recommended" could help propel the project through Congress.
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