What's Happening in Mesa, AZ…

Next month, The Valley Metro Rail will unveil its fifth construction milestone.

There will be a ribbon cutting and celebration of the first Central Mesa Extension. Passengers will get to ride the three-mile extension passed the Sycamore/Main Street stop and proceed on to Mesa Drive. Stops along the way will be at Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, and Center Street.

The construction of this leg of the project has been finished earlier than planned, and the opening day will be seven months sooner than previously predicted. The organizers have promised blocks of activities to celebrate the event. Shops along the new extension will be open and many will have special discounts to commemorate the occasion. For other deals, giveaways, and promotions, riders can purchase Metro Max Rewards cards. The VMR will more than likely take plenty of pictures of this event to take to local brochure printers for future promotional materials.

Drivers will want to be especially careful from Main Street, between Sycamore and Ashland from now until the end of next month, because crews will be testing the new rail. This will include train crossing intersections, activating new signals, and new traffic patterns. Valley Metro asks that drivers be aware of all message boards and traffic signals.

The celebration will be August 22, from 8:00 am to noon at the Center/Main Street Station.