North-South Corridor Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement

Overview

On August 20, 2021, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) published the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the North-South Corridor Study (Final Tier 1 EIS/ROD).

The ROD, the final decision-making document prepared by ADOT, represents the final decision on the Tier 1 EIS.

The Final Tier 1 EIS, conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), incorporated changes based on comments received on the Draft Tier 1 EIS, as well as updated analyses based on new information, and identified a Selected Corridor Alternative for the proposed North-South Corridor.

The Tier 1 EIS evaluated alternatives to improve regional connectivity, provide an additional connection through a growing area of the Sun Corridor, and address current and future transportation needs in Pinal County. The North-South Corridor spans more than 50 miles between US 60 in Apache Junction and I-10 in Eloy, passing through the city of Coolidge, town of Florence and portions of unincorporated Pinal County along the way. The study also incorporates the proposed extension of State Route 24 from Ironwood Drive to the North-South Corridor. The selected alternative may be viewed within the North-South Corridor Study Web Map.

A continuous, access-controlled north-to-south transportation corridor would:

Improve access to future activity centers
Improve regional mobility
Improve north-to-south connectivity
Integrate the region’s transportation network
Address existing and future population and employment growth
Provide an alternative to avoid congestion on I-10

Contact Us

Email: [email protected]

Toll-free bilingual information line: 855.712.8530

Mail: North-South Corridor Team c/o ADOT Communications,
1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by ADOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated 04/16/2019, and executed by FHWA and ADOT.)

Las consultas, la revisión ambiental y otras acciones requeridas según las leyes ambientales federales correspondientes para este proyecto se están llevando a cabo, o se han llevado a cabo, por ADOT de acuerdo con 23 U.S.C 327 y un Memorándum de Acuerdo con fecha del 16 de abril de 2019, y se han realizado por FHWA y ADOT.

Meeting Information and Notices

The North-South Corridor Study Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Tier 1 EIS) was completed and made available for public review and comment from Sept. 6, 2019 through Oct. 29, 2019. All comments and questions received during that period were addressed in the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which was completed in August 2021.

Although the deadline for comments on the Draft Tier 1 EIS has passed, comments on the ongoing study can be made at any time during the study process. Public meeting materials are available upon request. For comment methods, visit the Contact Us page.

As the North-South Corridor Study progressed, changes were made to the proposed alternatives subsequent to agency and public outreach and publication of the Alternatives Selection Report. As a result, ADOT, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, opened a comment period to solicit input on the new action corridor alternatives.

In the fall of 2017, those modified action corridor alternatives were presented for public review through an online mapping and comment tool, accessed from the study website. During the 30-day comment period (November 14 to December 14, 2017), the online mapping tool allowed users to drop a pin and comment on a specific area, or to provide general comments on the action corridor alternatives. All comments received by December 14, 2017, were considered during preparation of the Corridor Selection Report, which is included in Appendix C, Alternatives Screening, of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration hosted a series of public meetings to present the corridor alternatives for the proposed North-South Corridor Study.

FEIS/ROD

Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision

Study Process

The Tier 1 EIS was completed on August 20, 2021 and includes the following elements:

The purpose of the North-South Corridor Study Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement was to identify a selected alternative – either a build corridor alternative or a no-build alternative – for the 55-mile corridor between U.S. 60 on the north and Interstate 10 on the south, as well as a connection to State Route (SR) 24 at Ironwood Drive.

During the Tier 1 EIS process, ADOT evaluated potential corridor alternatives, along with the no-build alternative, for a future project alignment. The Tier 1 EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) identifies a selected build alternative for the North-South Corridor, as well as a corridor for a future proposed extension of SR 24 from Ironwood Drive to the North-South Corridor.

In 2019, the Tier 1 Draft EIS/ROD was published and made available for public review and comment, with three public hearings held in the study area.

The study team considered all comments received on the Draft Tier 1 EIS, conducted additional analysis, and coordinated with stakeholders to prepare the Final Tier 1 EIS/ROD. All comments received on the DEIS were considered and responded to in the Final Tier 1 EIS document.

The Tier 1 EIS and ROD is a combined document, and the public release of the documents concludes this phase of the study. Since this is a combined EIS and ROD, there is no formal comment period.

The Tier 1 EIS process is prescribed by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Final Tier 1 EIS provides a Draft Phased Implementation Plan, which is a conceptual framework for how the North-South Corridor will move forward into Tier 2 studies. A Phased Implementation Plan includes smaller segments of a corridor alternative that may advance as separate, independent projects.

Tier 2 EIS studies, for shorter segments of the corridor that may advance as separate, independent projects, may now be completed. These studies would include additional analysis to further refine the selected 1,500-foot North-South corridor to identify a recommended freeway alignment and the location of interchanges, bridges and other design features, and will include opportunities for public review and comment.

ADOT is considering all funding options to move the proposed North-South Corridor through the next phase of the study process and eventually to construction.