From the Director: The time is now to shape the Interstate 11 corridor

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

I’d venture to guess that nobody reading this post contributed their thoughts on the Interstate Highway System route map while it was developed in the early to mid-1950s.

Now is your chance to do so by participating in the current public comment period for the Interstate 11 corridor alternatives. This proposed multimodal transportation corridor would connect Arizona with regional and international markets, and improve mobility between Arizona and other states in the Intermountain West region.

I-11 would likely follow US 93 south from the Hoover Dam bypass bridge to Wickenburg, run west of the Phoenix metropolitan area and south to the Tucson area, and then on to Nogales at the border with Mexico. That’s just the Arizona portion. Ultimately, I-11 could extend north from Arizona through Nevada and on to Canada.

The time to provide input is now as the Arizona Department of Transportation and the I-11 study team narrow the focus of the corridor. The team is currently developing an Alternatives Selection Report to assess the corridor alternatives and options. Then the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement will be generated to evaluate a reasonable range of corridor alternatives, including a no-build alternative. The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which would include a preferred corridor alternative or the no-build option, and the Record of Decision are expected in 2019.

Five of a scheduled six public meetings have recently been held. The sixth meeting will be in Buckeye today, at the city’s Community Center, 201 E. Centre Ave., from 5-7 p.m.

If you cannot attend that public meeting, you may share your thoughts before the public comment period ends on June 2 by using the comment tool on the Interstate 11 website, i11study.com.

ADOT is committed to I-11 and to including your input in the decision-making process. I invite you to share your thoughts.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.