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Valley Metro and city of Mesa, Ariz., officials will host an Oct. 30 meeting to provide the public with information on two route alternatives that are part of the next phase of planning for the Gilbert Road light-rail extension.

Valley Metro and the city now are entering the environmental assessment phase of the planning process for the extension, which would be built on Main Street between Mesa Drive and Gilbert Road. At the meeting, the two alternatives will be reviewed, as well as the location and capacity needed for a park-and-ride facility proposed for the area, Valley Metro officials said in a prepared statement.

In 2009, Valley Metro Rail Inc., Mesa City Council and Maricopa Association of Governments approved a locally approved alternative to extend light rail five miles on Main Street from Sycamore to Gilbert Road in two phases. The first is the 3.1-mile Central Mesa light-rail extension from Sycamore through downtown Mesa to Mesa Drive that's now under construction. The second phase is a 1.9-mile extension that ends at Gilbert Road.