There has been a lot of talk about trying to connect the light rail to the Northwest Valley, the Cardinals stadium and possibly Northeast Phoenix/Scottsdale. All options I have seen involve using existing streets or freeways. Why not use the canals? There are a number of benefits to using this plan. First, there is plenty of land available to run the light rail lines along the canal banks. Construction would not be as disruptive as it would be if the light rail ran down the middle of the street. Left turn lanes would not need to be removed, thus removing obstructions to local businesses along the roadways. Traffic lanes would not need to be removed to accommodate the light rail lines. The costs to acquire land and move utilities would be greatly reduced. The light rail could travel quicker, as there would be reduced traffic lights along its routes. Beautification projects could occur along the canals to make them multi-purpose areas, therein increasing property values in the surrounding areas.

The Arizona Canal could be used to connect to Arrowhead Towne Center to Metrocenter and over to Old Town Scottsdale. This would also provide a connection to the light rail extension up 19th Ave. The Grand Canal could be used to connect the Cardinals stadium to Central Phoenix and over to the airport. The Western Canal could be used to connect South Phoenix to Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert. The Eastern and Consolidated Canals could be used to connect East Mesa to the South East Valley and also connect to the future Mesa extension of the existing light rail line.