Phoenix light-rail expansion plans prove divisive

A Phoenix man is hoping to derail Metro light rail's plans to lay track through his neighborhood as part of an 11-mile extension to the city's west side. John Maurin, who has lived in the St. Matthew neighborhood north of the state Capitol for all of his 61 years, has attended several public meetings about Metro's proposal to build the extension on Jefferson Street from Central Avenue, past the Capitol and state buildings, through his neighborhood to Interstate 17, then north to Interstate 10 and west into Tolleson. Maurin said he repeatedly has asked the transit agency to consider a different route, one that would avoid splitting his neighborhood, from Fillmore to Harrison streets and from the Black Canyon Freeway to 19th Avenue. He wants to ensure the future of homes as old as 1893. He said his home was built in the early 1900s. Older homes "are not built for that much traffic" to pass, Maurin said.

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