PHOENIX – Six months after southern Arizona residents gave their opinions on possible routes for the Sonoran Corridor proposed in the Tucson area, they will have the chance March 7 to learn about routes that have been recommended for further study.

At a public meeting, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will share the results of an evaluation of 10 alternatives that were presented to the community in September.

The meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at the DoubleTree Suites Tucson Airport, 7051 S. Tucson Blvd. A presentation will begin at 6 p.m.

The meeting is part of a public involvement process that allows the community to ask questions and offer comments about potential locations for the proposed corridor as well as environmental considerations, impacts on wildlife habitat and cultural resources.

The Sonoran Corridor would connect Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 south of Tucson International Airport. It has been designated as a high-priority corridor under the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. There is no timeline for building a freeway in the corridor.

A new freeway in that area would support the economy of southern Arizona and the state. It also would reduce travel distances south of Tucson and relieve congestion at the current interchange of I-10 and I-19 southwest of downtown Tucson.

In the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Study, officials are identifying and studying a range of possible corridors along with the opportunities and constraints of each. The study considers the potential social, economic and natural environment impacts of the alternatives, as well as the impact of not building a freeway in this area. The study, which began in 2017, is expected to be completed in 2020.

The study is evaluating multiple 2,000-foot-wide corridor alternatives, including a no-build alternative and multiple build alternatives, to determine a recommendation that is based on technical analysis and other factors, including public input.

A future Tier 2 environmental study would advance the Tier 1 recommendations to identify the specific project alignment, effects and mitigation. There is no timeline or funding identified for the Tier 2 study.

For more information about this study, please visit azdot.gov/SonoranCorridor.

Public comment also is welcome through April 7 in several ways:
     * Email: [email protected]
     * Toll-free bilingual information line: 855.712.8530
     * Mail: Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS Study Team
        c/o Joanna Bradley
        1221 S. Second Ave., Mail Drop T100
        Tucson, AZ 85713

PHOENIX – When the new interchange at Ina Road and Interstate 10 in Marana opens in the coming weeks, it will include state-of-the-art technology helping Arizona Department of Transportation engineers adjust signals to keep traffic flowing.

Work on the $128 million project, which began two years ago, includes significant improvements to the interchange and to Ina Road in a growing area northwest of Tucson. The new interchange is expected to open in early spring, while work on improvements to Ina Road and new bridges over the Santa Cruz River will continue for several months.

Traffic signals where the new I-10 ramps intersect with Ina Road will include cameras that collect data on traffic moving past. That data will help traffic engineers decide whether to alter the length of green lights to move traffic more efficiently. Marana also is adding cameras for the same purpose along Ina Road at Starcommerce Way and Camino de la Cruz.

The cameras give a 360-degree view of the intersections and replace sensors placed in cuts made in the pavement. Already is use at a number of Pima County intersections, the cameras are used only for traffic management and not for law enforcement.

The cameras are just one of the changes that will help traffic flow more smoothly through the Marana intersections.

Crews have added a lane in each direction on I-10 and on Ina Road west of the freeway. That will allow both to carry more traffic with fewer delays for drivers.

Before work began, Ina Road was at ground level and crossed railroad tracks before traveling below I-10. The new configuration includes bridges carrying Ina Road over the railroad tracks and I-10, eliminating delays when trains move through the area.

A single two-lane bridge over the Santa Cruz River has been replaced with two bridges, each carrying two lanes of traffic. The eastbound bridge opened in December 2017 and carries one lane in each direction. The westbound bridge will open this spring.

The city of Marana recently made improvements to Ina Road just east of I-10 to benefit businesses and drivers in the area.

The Ina Road improvements are just the latest in a number of interchange improvements being made along I-10 in the Tucson area. Interchanges at Prince Road and Twin Peaks have been improved in recent years. A similar project at Ruthrauff Road is expected to begin by this summer.

PHOENIX ‒ Widening the last two stretches of Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Tucson that remain two lanes in each direction. Opening a modern Ina Road traffic interchange with Interstate 10 in Marana. Launching a major upgrade to State Route 189, the 3.75-mile Nogales highway essential to trade with Mexico.

These are just some of the Arizona Department of Transportation projects finishing or starting in 2019 that are designed to make travel safer and more efficient in southern Arizona.

Four major projects that received a great deal of attention in 2018 are scheduled for completion this year:

• 
  A new I-10 interchange is on track to open this spring carrying Ina Road traffic over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and greatly improving mobility and safety in a growing area northwest of Tucson. This $128 million project also is widening Ina Road to two lanes in each direction from I-10 west over new bridges crossing the Santa Cruz River, with full project completion expected this summer.
• Crews will finish widening 4 miles of I-10 in Casa Grande between Earley Road and Interstate 8. This $43 million project, scheduled for completion by late summer, includes replacing the original bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard to accommodate three lanes in each direction.
• Between Eloy and Picacho, crews are scheduled to complete a $72 million project widening 4 miles of I-10 to three lanes in each direction by creating new travel lanes. The improvements include a new State Route 87 interchange and a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone on 10 miles of I-10 to provide drivers with crucial safety information during dust storms. Completion is scheduled for late summer.
• A $55 million overpass that will carry State Route 347 traffic over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Maricopa is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

Design work is set to begin by June on the largest project of 2019: a $134 million upgrade of State Route 189, which connects the Mariposa Port of Entry with Interstate 19 in Nogales and carries a large share of produce entering the United States. Planned upgrades include flyover ramps to make a smoother transition between SR 189 and I-19 and a bridge over Frank Reed Road that will improve safety near Nogales High School. The two-year project is expected to be completed in 2021.

In Tucson, construction is scheduled begin this summer on a new interchange at I-10 at Ruthrauff Road. The $101 million, two-year project will be similar to interchange improvements at Ina and Prince roads.

Other major projects expected to begin in 2019 include replacing the 70-year-old Pinto Creek Bridge on US 60 east of Superior and repaving a 7-mile section of State Route 95 north of Parker. Bidding for the Pinto Creek work will take place early this year, while paving on SR 95 began earlier this month and is expected to continue until fall.

For more information on these projects, please visit azdot.gov/projects.

PHOENIX ‒ Arizona Department of Transportation crews have closed three Interstate 10 ramps in the area of a widening project in Casa Grande for the safety of drivers and work crews.

The ramps that will remain closed until the project is complete in late summer 2019 are:

• Eastbound Interstate 8 to westbound I-10.
• The eastbound I-10 on-ramp at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.
• The westbound off-ramp at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.

All three ramps are in the area where ADOT crews are widening I-10 to six lanes between Earley Road and I-8 (milepost 196-200).

Traffic on eastbound I-8 should take westbound I-10 to the next exit at Sunland Gin Road (exit 200), exit and enter eastbound I-10 at Sunland Gin Road. 

Drivers wishing to enter eastbound I-10 at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard should follow Jimmie Kerr Boulevard south to Sunland Gin Road, then go west to reach I-10.  Westbound I-10 drivers can exit at Sunland Gin Road and then go north to Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, or exit at Florence Boulevard (SR 287, edit 194), re-enter I-10 eastbound and exit at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.

Traffic on I-10 was recently switched to new lanes and new bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard as work continues on the project. The original bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard are being removed and crews soon will begin work to add additional lanes and shoulders to the new bridges.

Along with a second widening project in Eloy, the work will make I-10 a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande to Tucson.

PHOENIX ‒ Almost as soon as traffic on eastbound Interstate 10 started using new lanes through 4 miles of Pinal County between Eloy and Picacho this week, Arizona Department of Transportation crews began demolishing travel lanes that had been in use for more than 40 years. The same occurred in December when westbound traffic moved to new lanes.

But instead of finding a place to discard the old asphalt, concrete and dirt, ADOT engineers are using it to create the foundation for the new eastbound lanes that are now under construction.

“We need to build up the ground under the new eastbound lanes of I-10,” said Dave Locher, ADOT’s regional engineer and project manager. “Usually we have to haul material in from some off-site location, which can be expensive. But in this case the better answer was literally right in front of us.”

About 1 million square feet of asphalt, tons of earth from below the roadway surface and 30,000 feet of guardrail will be removed from the old lanes of I-10. Guardrail in good condition will be sent to maintenance yards around Arizona for use in other projects. The rest of the material will be moved 100-150 yards east to the new eastbound alignment.

In many large projects, crews create a “borrow pit” when they need additional dirt. The pit usually is located near the project, in a site where removing earth doesn’t create additional environmental or economic concerns. Hauling that extra dirt adds time and money to the project.

ADOT is expanding I-10 to six lanes between mileposts 209 and 213, as well as building a new interchange with State Route 87 and creating a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone in the area north of Picacho Peak. The new alignment is just east of the current freeway.

Along with a second widening project in Casa Grande, the work will make I-10 a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande to Tucson. Both projects are expected to be complete by fall 2019.