Senate panel orders study of light‑rail expansion after hours of debate and testimony from small businesses
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Summary
The committee approved SB 13‑32, directing ADOT to study light‑rail expansion in Maricopa County and compare it to autonomous electric transit; business owners on Indian School Road opposed the proposal and Valley Metro urged local control. The committee adopted an amendment and advanced the bill.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations, Transportation and Technology voted to advance SB 13‑32, which directs the Arizona Department of Transportation to conduct a comprehensive feasibility review of light‑rail expansion in Maricopa County and to report findings by Dec. 31, 2027. The study must compare capital and operating costs, lifecycle maintenance, and alternatives including autonomous and semi‑autonomous electric vehicles.
Sponsor Senator Kavanaugh pressed for a neutral review of fixed rail versus newer electric and autonomous options. “Light rail has been described as a twentieth‑century technology not suitable for 21st‑century Phoenix or anywhere for that matter,” he said, arguing new technologies could offer more flexibility and lower community disruption.
The hearing drew sustained public testimony from business owners along the proposed Indian School corridor who said the project was advanced without adequate notice. Hector Montes, representing more than 1,000 businesses on the Indian School corridor, told the committee his family’s third‑generation store closed after prior light‑rail construction and warned additional disruption could be devastating: “When we sought to provide input and voice our position to the city, we did not feel our concerns were fully considered,” he said.
The City of Phoenix and Valley Metro opposed the bill. Scott Smith, representing the city and Valley Metro, said local transit planning already includes extensive studies and public input and warned the bill would duplicate local work. He noted Phoenix voters have approved multiple transit initiatives in prior elections and questioned ADOT as the study owner.
Committee members debated the study’s scope, funding and the correct neutral body to undertake it; the sponsor agreed to solicit additional criteria and meet with ADOT and stakeholders before floor action. The committee adopted Senator Kavanaugh’s two‑page amendment removing a state prohibition on participation in light‑rail projects and then approved the bill as amended (7 ayes, 3 noes, 0 not voting).
What’s next: SB 13‑32 proceeds to the Senate floor as amended. The sponsor committed to post‑committee consultations with ADOT, Valley Metro, ASU or other experts to refine study criteria and identify funding sources for the work.
