Phoenix, Ariz., light-rail project receives more federal grant money

Three rail bridges in Moorhead, N.D., will not be complete until mid-2022.

A U.S. DOT grant will help complete the South Central light-rail extension project in Phoenix, Ariz.

The project will receive an additional $638 million, with $530 million coming from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program and $108 million from the Federal Highway Administration.

The 5.5-mile extension, which already received $200 million in grant money and is expected to cost about $1 billion, will connect with existing tracks that run from downtown Phoenix. The project is scheduled to be complete in 2024.

Thirty-eight percent of South Phoenix residents live below the poverty line and 12 percent of households do not own a vehicle, so officials say the South Central project is a critical one.

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