Light rail officials started one of their most visible information efforts Wednesday by unveiling offbeat kiosks to grab public attention.
The kiosks come months before construction begins on the 20-mile Valley Metro Rail line. The only symbols of the $1.3 billion system so far are signs along the route in west Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix.
Officials unveiled the kiosks to help the public understand the Metro and its construction, set to start this fall.
“We’ll begin to remind people and reinforce the idea that construction is going to happen pretty quickly,” said Richard Simonetta, Valley Metro Rail’s CEO.
The kiosks represent $7 million in public art that’s part of the system’s 27 stations. Valley architectural or sign firms designed the kiosks, then donated them.
One kiosk looks like a cross-section of a train. Another mixes iron and concrete with sleek glass. All show project features and hold brochures and construction updates.
The kiosks are at Spectrum Mall in Phoenix through Sunday and will be placed Monday. Two will be in the East Valley, one at the Tempe Escalante Center and another at Mesa Public Library’s Dobson Ranch branch.
