Arizona’s State Transportation Board has two new members…

Appointed by Gov. Jan Brewer and confirmed by the Arizona State Senate, Deanna L. Beaver and William F. Cuthbertson have replaced outgoing members Bobbie Lundstrom and Bill Feldmeier (members of the board serve six-year terms).

The newest members join five others on the board in representing local communities to plan and develop the state’s transportation system.

“An efficient transportation system is critical to Arizona’s ability to foster trade opportunities, create jobs and enhance our global competitiveness,” said Gov. Brewer. “As lifelong Arizonans with decades of service to their respective communities, Ms. Beaver and Mr. Cuthbertson know the transportation challenges facing Arizona. They will each be of tremendous value to the Transportation Board and the traveling public.”

About the State Transportation Board
There’s a lot that this group oversees, including the annual adoption of the five-year construction program (by the way, don’t forget that there's still time to comment on the most recent plan). The board also awards construction contracts and monitors the status of projects.

Additionally, the board serves in an advisory capacity to the Director of ADOT and is granted specific policy powers and duties related to the planning of development of Arizona’s highways, airports and other state transportation facilities.

For more on what the State Transportation Board is all about, you can re-visit this blog post. And, to learn about all the board members, including the two newest ones, visit the State Transportation Board Web page.

It’s almost time for the next public hearing on ADOT’s tentative Five-Year Construction Program…

This one is scheduled for 9 a.m. on April 12 in Tucson. The meeting will be held in the Pascua Yaqui Justice Center in the Albert V. Garcia Auditorium, 7777 S. Camino Huivism, Building C.

But if you can’t make it, don’t worry – there are plenty of other ways to comment. Here are a few of your options:

• Email: [email protected]
• Online comment form
• Phone: 855.712.8530
• Print and mail the comment form to: ADOT 5-Year Program, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

More on the tentative program 

The Five-Year Construction Program is a blueprint for ADOT that details where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for projects over the next five years to improve our sate’s transportation infrastructure.

However, some tough decisions are ahead. For the 2014-2018 Five-Year Program (which is still a tentative program right now), ADOT has determined that $350 million must be cut due to stagnant revenue from the gas and vehicle license taxes and from decreased federal funding.

As a result, the 2014-2018 Five-Year Construction Program reflects a major focus on preserving our existing state highway system while moving some programmed projects forward. Other programmed projects in the five-year plan will need to be delayed to future years due to significantly less funding.

We encourage you to visit the ADOT website to take a look at the tentative plan. There you’ll also find information on three different scenarios

It’s important that you do provide feedback because the State Transportation Board will consider all public comments that are received by May 17 before adopting the final 2014-2018 Five-Year Program at its June 14 meeting in Pinetop-Lakeside.

ADOT’s tentative Five-Year Construction Program is now online and available for your review and comments.

But before you go and have a look, we want to let you know that this year’s draft is a little different from what you've seen in the past…

Yes, the Five-Year Construction Program still serves as a blueprint for ADOT.

And, just like it has in previous years, the plan details where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for projects over the next five years to improve our sate’s transportation infrastructure.

However, for this year’s plan (which is still a tentative program right now), ADOT has determined that $350 million must be cut due to stagnant revenue from the gas and vehicle license taxes and from decreased federal funding.

As a result, the 2014-2018 Five-Year Construction Program reflects a major focus on preserving our existing state highway system while moving some programmed projects forward.

Other programmed projects in the five-year plan will need to be delayed to future years due to significantly less funding.

Preserving our system means protecting our investment of $18.4 billion – this is the value of the state highway system through monies spent on expansion, modernization and preservation projects.

What this means…

Over the next five years, there will be less focus on expansion of the system statewide. This is the first Five-Year Program that will reflect this dramatic change for the agency.

This issue will be present in 2013, but will become much more pronounced by 2016, when $250 million will be cut from the program, and in 2017, when an additional $100 million will be cut from the program.

“We are at a crossroads,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “The time has come to make some tough decisions about how to spend our limited transportation dollars. We are standing at a wide funding gap between the need for future transportation options and the reality of insufficient funds to pay for them. We need to move forward with a plan that focuses on preserving the good work we’ve done in creating a state highway system that connects communities and economies.”

The State Transportation Board will conduct public hearings to allow for additional community input.

What’s your opinion?
The public comment period for the Tentative Five-Year Program is now under way. As ADOT moves toward a preservation-based system, there are three scenarios that are being considered for implementation. All three scenarios are available for public comment:

• Scenario A – Focus on Preservation: This scenario focuses the most investment on keeping the existing highway system in good repair with the least investment in programmed major projects in greater Arizona. There would be 81 preservation projects from 2014 to 2016, 39 bridge projects, one major project and 690 miles of pavement projects. An average of $184 million per year in preservation from 2014 through 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2031 with this scenario.
• Scenario B – Focus on Programmed Major Projects: This scenario focuses the most investment on major projects that are programmed in greater Arizona with the lowest investment in keeping existing highways in good repair through preservation. There would be nine major projects from 2014 to 2017. From 2014 to 2016, there would be 25 bridge projects and 458 miles of pavement projects. An average of $142 million per year in preservation from 2014 to 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2017 with this scenario.
• Scenario C – Combination of Preservation and Major Projects: This scenario focuses on some investment in major projects that are programmed in greater Arizona with less investment in keeping existing highways in good repair. There would be four major projects from 2014 to 2017, 39 bridge projects from 2014 to 2018 and 524 miles of pavement projects. An average of $149 million per year in preservation from 2014 to 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2021 with this scenario.

How to comment

ADOT welcomes feedback and has provided the following options to submit your comments:

• Email: [email protected]
• Online comment form
• Phone: 855.712.8530
• Print and mail the comment form to: ADOT 5-Year Program, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The State Transportation Board will consider all public comments received by May 17. Public hearings will be conducted on March 8 in Phoenix, April 12 in Tucson and May 10 in Flagstaff to allow for additional community input (see details above). The board is expected to adopt the final 2014-2018 Five-Year Program at the June 14 meeting in Pinetop-Lakeside.

Would you say that you’re a planner, or do you adhere to more of a “let’s see what happens” approach to life?

Nothing wrong with either attitude, but here at ADOT we’re definitely planners (no surprise – we’ve blogged plenty about it.One of the ways we continue to plan ahead is through the development of the Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program.You might remember from this blog post that the five-year program acts as a kind of blue print – it details where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for future projects.

We blogged about the plan back in March when we were seeking comments from the public (nearly 600 of you responded), but today we wanted to provide an update and let you know that the State Transportation Board formally approved the plan last Friday.

More about the 2013-2017 Five-Year Program

The 2013-2017 Five-Year Program reflects a change in philosophy and expenditures for ADOT. Due to a major decline in transportation funding, the agency must shift priorities to more preservation, maintenance and modernization of our highways and infrastructure.

For 2013 through 2017, the total for the highway portion of the Five-Year Program is set at about $940 million per year to preserve, modernize and improve Arizona’s highways.

That’s down from the $1.1 billion per year from the 2012-2016 Five-Year Program, due primarily to the decline in funding resulting from the weak economy. Of the total amount of funding estimated over the next five years, about half is designated for the Metro Phoenix region, in part because of the Valley’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects, approved by voters in 2004. Approximately $126 million is designated for aviation projects in the Five-Year Program.

Looking five years into the future can be difficult, especially considering the current status of the economy. That’s why the 2013 and 2014 portions of the program are “fiscally constrained” – meaning based on an expected budget – while the three remaining years are built on budget estimates, which is one reason the Five-Year Program is annually updated.

So, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be blogging about the next Five-Year Program in a year.

Arizona’s transportation system has evolved over the past 100 years from a series of unpaved roads into a robust network of highways, airports and transit systems equipped with the latest technology and innovations.

But, that transformation didn’t happen by accident ... it took plenty of work and a whole lot of planning.

Planning is just as vital today as it was back then and at ADOT we’re always looking ahead.

Which brings us to the topic of today’s blog post ... the Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program.

This is a plan that basically serves as a blue print covering a five-year span to detail where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for future projects. Since Arizona is a big state with lots of needs and because transportation projects come with high costs, ADOT needs to prioritize which projects move forward first.

The five-year program is created through collaboration that all begins with a long-range visioning process (kind of a “big-picture” look at the next 40 years). Next, a more realistic 20-year plan is developed and from there, the five-year program is created.

Three public hearings are scheduled.

The five-year program is updated each year and because budgets are uncertain, the first two years are always fiscally constrained, meaning they’re based on an expected budget. The remaining three years are built on budget estimates.

After a thorough public hearing process, the State Transportation Board considers and adopts the five-year program.

A quick look at the 2013-2017 program

For 2013 through 2017, the total for the highway portion of the five-year program is tentatively set at $940 million a year to preserve, modernize and improve our state’s highways. That is down from the $1.1 billion per year from the last five-year program, due primarily to the decline in funding resulting from a weak economy.

Of the total amount of funding estimated over the next five years, about half is designated for the Metro Phoenix region, in part because of the Valley’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects, approved by voters in 2004.

Approximately $126 million is designated for aviation projects in the five-year program.

We want to hear from you!

You can get a complete look at the tentative five-year program now ... it's online and we welcome your feedback. You can email us at [email protected].

We also invite you to check out the “how to read it” guide!

If you'd rather give your feedback in person, or you want to talk with an ADOT representative face-to-face, public hearings will be conducted on March 16 in Tucson, April 20 in Flagstaff and May 18 in Phoenix (see above for details).

Members of the State Transportation Board will consider comments received by May 18 when they formally adopt the program in June.