Tier 1 EIS: North-South Corridor Study Proposed New Transportation Route in Pinal County

You are invited to review the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the North-South Corridor Study (Final Tier 1 EIS/ROD).

Because this is a combined EIS/ROD, there is no formal comment period.

  Email: [email protected](link sends e-mail)

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

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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability. Persons who require a reasonable accommodation based on language or disability should contact Courtney King, Community Relations Project Manager, at 480.549.3504 or at [email protected] (link sends e-mail). Requests should be made as early as possible to ensure the State has an opportunity to address the accommodation.)

De acuerdo con el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA por sus siglas en inglés) y otras normas y leyes antidiscriminatorias, el Departamento de Transporte de Arizona (ADOT) no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, edad o discapacidad. Las personas que requieran asistencia (dentro de lo razonable) ya sea por el idioma o discapacidad deben ponerse en contacto en Courtney King con [email protected] (link sends e-mail) o 855.712.8530. Las solicitudes deben hacerse lo más antes posible para asegurar que el Estado tenga la oportunidad de hacer los arreglos necesarios.

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.

Reports and documents produced as part of the ongoing North-South Corridor Study can be found here.

The following information is provided as a resource to those interested in the North-South Corridor Study. Files can be large and take time to download to your computer; Adobe Reader may be needed to view these documents.

Tier 1 DEIS North South Corridor Study

• Cover and Table of Contents
• Summary Chapter
• Chapter 1: Purpose and Need
• Chapter 2: Alternatives
• Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Part 1 | Part 2
• Chapter 4: Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
• Chapter 5: Comments, Coordination and Public Involvement
• Chapter 6: Evaluation of Alternatives
• Chapter 7: References
• Chapter 8: Preparers
• Appendix A: Agency Coordination
• Appendix B: Traffic Information
• Appendix C: Alternatives Screening
• Appendix D: Summary of Mitigation
• Appendix E: Socioeconomic Information
• Appendix F: Air Quality Information
• Appendix G: Noise Information
• Appendix H: Geotechnical Information
• Appendix I: Biological Resources Information
• Appendix J: Section 106 Consultation Part 1 | Part 2
• Appendix K: Hazardous Materials Information
• Appendix L: Utility Information
• Appendix M: Public Involvement
• Appendix N: Public hearing

The alternatives may be viewed within the Mapping and Comment Tool

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. For comment methods, visit the Contact Us page. Fina

Public Hearing Materials

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 this Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (see Appendix A, Agency and Public Comments, available for review on the Documents  page and at several locations in the study area).

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. Information regarding the meetings and what we heard may be found at the linked documents below.

Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) North-South Corridor Study

• Cover and Table of Contents
• Prologue
• Summary
• Chapter 1: Purpose and Need
• Chapter 2: Alternatives
• Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
• Chapter 4: Indirect and Cumulative Impacts
• Chapter 5: Comments, Coordination and Public Involvement
• Chapter 6: Evaluation of Alternatives
• Chapter 7: Record of Decision
• Chapter 8: References
• Chapter 9: Preparers
• Appendix A: Agency Coordination
• Appendix B: Traffic Information
• Appendix C: Alternatives Screening
• Appendix D: Summary of Mitigation
• Appendix E: Social Conditions Information
• Appendix F: Air Quality Information
• Appendix G: Noise Information
• Appendix H: Geotechnical Information
• Appendix I: Biological Resources Information
• Appendix J: Section 106 Consultation Part 1 | Part 2
• Appendix K: Hazardous Materials Information
• Appendix L: Utility Information
• Appendix M: Public Involvement
• Appendix N: Public hearing
• Appendix O: Agency and Public Comments
• Appendix P: Implementation Plan
• Index

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.