PHOENIX – The Record of Decision and Final Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation for the 280-mile Interstate 11 study corridor – stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg – has been completed and published. After more than five years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, the publication of this decision document marks a major milestone as the final step in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement process for this proposed highway corridor.

The signed Record of Decision, approved by the Federal Highway Administration, is available at i11study.com/Arizona. The Record of Decision was prepared by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the FHWA, and was completed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. This decision document identifies the Selected Corridor Alternative, which is a Build Alternative. The Selected Corridor Alternative is a combination of new and existing roadways.

The Selected Corridor Alternative is the same as the Preferred Corridor Alternative outlined in the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement published on July 16, 2021. The 2,000-foot-wide Selected Corridor Alternative is the area within which the proposed I-11 facility could be built.

For I-11 to advance as a construction project, several additional steps would be required. These steps would include NEPA approval, identifying funding, and conducting specific, project-level Tier 2 NEPA studies of priority corridor segments. It is during the Tier 2 process that the Selected Corridor Alternative would be narrowed to a maximum 400-foot-wide highway alignment, or route. Based on need and purpose, these segments would focus on smaller and shorter sections of I-11 and not the entire 280-mile corridor. Currently there are no plans or funding available to initiate these Tier 2 studies.

The I-11 Tier 1 environmental study began in 2016. All study documents and public outreach materials are available at i11study.com/Arizona, including an Interactive EIS that was published in addition to the Final Tier 1 EIS in July 2021. Formal public comment periods were held in 2016, 2017 and 2019, with a 30-day public review period for the Final Tier 1 EIS from July 16 through August 16, 2021. A total of 18 public meetings and hearings were held throughout the five-year study process to inform community members about the study, engage with them and listen to their feedback, and document their questions and comments for the public record.

The Tier 1 study includes more than five years of technical analysis; coordination with study partners such as cooperating agencies, participating agencies and tribal governments; and the review and consideration of public input received at study milestones. All of this information informed the decision identifying the Selected Corridor Alternative documented in the Record of Decision.

The proposed I-11 is envisioned as a multi-use corridor that would improve Arizona’s access to regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for enhanced travel, mobility, trade, commerce, job growth and economic competitiveness.

The concept of a high-capacity, high-priority north-south transportation facility that connects U.S. markets to Canada and Mexico through the western U.S. has been considered for more than 25 years. In 2015, the U.S. Congress approved the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), which formally designated I-11 as an interstate highway through Arizona and reinforced the concept for I-11 that had emerged from previous ADOT studies. This designation did not include funding for design and construction.

For more information about I-11 and the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, visit i11study.com/Arizona.

The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the 280-mile Interstate 11 study corridor – stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg – is now available for public review. 

After five years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, this publication of the I-11 Final Tier 1 EIS marks a milestone for the proposed corridor.

The Final Tier 1 EIS, including a Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation, is available at i11study.com/Arizona/index.asp.

The website also lists locations throughout the study area where a hard copy of the Final Tier 1 EIS is available for review. The 30-day public review period runs through the close of business on Monday, Aug. 16. For information on how to submit a comment, visit the Contact Us page on the study website. That link is here: i11study.com/Arizona/ContactUs.asp.

Prepared by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, the Final Tier 1 EIS was completed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. It outlines the Preferred Corridor Alternative, including a parallel analysis of the No-Build Alternative.

The Final Tier 1 EIS focuses on the 2,000-foot-wide Preferred Corridor Alternative and the changes that were made since the publication of the 2,000-foot-wide Recommended Corridor Alternative in the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement in April 2019.

The Final Tier 1 EIS document is presented in a condensed format that avoids repetition of material from the Draft Tier 1 EIS. The Final Tier 1 EIS is a much shorter document, references the Draft Tier 1 EIS, and includes a complete overview of the project and its impacts on the environment. ADOT and FHWA decided to use the condensed format, in part, to streamline complex information as requested by several cooperating and participating agencies.

In addition to the Final Tier 1 EIS document that will be posted online and available as a hard copy document at designated repository locations, an Interactive EIS will also be available on the I-11 study website: i11study.com/Arizona/index.asp. This is the first time that ADOT has published an Interactive EIS. It contains the same information as the traditional Final Tier 1 EIS document in an interactive and engaging format. 

ADOT and FHWA listened to and read every public comment submitted during the Tier 1 study. The study team gave consideration to comments from the public and stakeholders during the Draft Tier 1 EIS 90-day public comment period from April 5, 2019 through July 8, 2019. ADOT and FHWA made changes to the corridor after the Draft Tier 1 EIS public comment process was complete. Appendix H of the Final Tier 1 EIS documents the comments received on the Draft Tier 1 EIS and provides responses to those comments. Appendix H can be found here: i11study.com/Arizona/Documents.asp.

The process to develop a Preferred Corridor Alternative for the Final Tier 1 EIS included technical analysis; coordination with study partners such as cooperating agencies, participating agencies and tribal governments; and the review and consideration of public input received at study milestones.

Once the 30-day public review period is complete for the Final Tier 1 EIS, ADOT and FHWA will work toward a Record of Decision (ROD). That document, which is scheduled to be published in late 2021, will identify a Selected Corridor Alternative or the No-Build Option. The ROD marks the end of the Tier 1 EIS process.

If a build corridor is selected at the end of the Tier 1 study, further Tier 2 studies and evaluations must take place before construction could be considered. The corridor would be narrowed to a highway alignment, which is about 400 feet wide. An alignment determining where I-11 could be built would be decided during a future phase of design and environmental studies. Currently there are no plans or funding available to initiate these Tier 2 studies.

The proposed I-11 is envisioned as a multi-use corridor that would provide a connection from Mexico to the Hoover Dam, connecting with I-11 in Nevada. This proposed statewide highway would improve Arizona’s access to regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for enhanced travel, mobility, trade, commerce, job growth and economic competitiveness. While the evaluation phase of this high-priority and high-capacity transportation corridor has begun, funding for further studies, design and construction has not been identified.

In 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, formally designated I-11 in Arizona. The designation doesn’t include funding but identifies I-11 as a high-priority corridor eligible for federal funding. I-11 is envisioned to include a combination of new and existing roadways.

For more information about I-11 and the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, visit i11study.com/Arizona/index.asp.

PHOENIX – Additional information that is part of the draft environmental document for the proposed Interstate 11 corridor, stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg, has been released. To provide sufficient time for community review of the entire draft environmental impact statement, the public comment period has been extended to July 8, providing a full 90 days of review from the draft’s initial release.

The additional information, called the errata, for the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed I-11 corridor, was made available on April 26. This additional information, as well as the entire Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, can be found online at i11study.com/Arizona and at all locations where copies of the environmental document are available for review or purchase.

As a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, I-11 is a concept far from construction. No funding has been identified or proposed to move to Tier 2 studies on any segments of the corridor. Those Tier 2 studies would identify specific alignments for a roadway, within a selected build corridor alternative. In all, the Recommended Corridor Alternative identified in the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement is 2,000 feet wide. Specific alignments, as would be identified in Tier 2 studies, would be about 400 feet wide.

Prepared by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration over the course of three years, the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement describes the study process, completed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. It proposes a Recommended Corridor Alternative, with analysis of other alternatives and a no-build option.

Kicking off next week is a series of six public hearings on the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the 280-mile proposed I-11 corridor. Meetings will be held in Buckeye, Wickenburg, Casa Grande, Nogales, Tucson and Marana. Each meeting provides the same forum for learning about the project and providing formal comments, which will be used by the study team to guide development of the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.

There are several ways to submit comments on the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, including online, in person at a public hearing, and by email, U.S. postal mail and a bilingual telephone hotline. Hearings will be held:

Monday, April 29: 5 to 8 p.m., Palo Verde Energy Education Center, 600 N. Verrado Way, Buckeye

Tuesday, April 30: 4 to 7 p.m., Wickenburg Community Center, 160 N. Valentine St., Wickenburg

Wednesday, May 1: 5 to 8 p.m., Holiday Inn, 777 N. Pinal Ave., Casa Grande

Tuesday, May 7: 4 to 7 p.m., Quality Hotel Americana, 639 N. Grand Ave., Nogales

Wednesday, May 8: 3 to 8 p.m., Tucson Convention Center Ballrooms/Lobby, 260 S. Church Ave., Tucson

Saturday, May 11: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Marana High School Cafeteria, 12000 W. Emigh Road, Marana

In addition to providing verbal or written comments at a public hearing, members of the community can submit comments or questions through July 8 using the following methods:

Online: i11study.com/Arizona

Email: [email protected]

Bilingual Phone: 1.844.544.8049

Mail: I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team, c/o ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

In 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, formally designated I-11 in Arizona. The designation doesn’t include funding but identifies I-11 as a high-priority corridor eligible for federal funding.

For more information about I-11 and the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, visit i11study.com/Arizona.

PHOENIX – The Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the 280-mile Interstate 11 corridor – stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg – is now available for review and comment. After three years of study, technical analysis, and input from communities and stakeholders, movement of the I-11 Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement to the public comment phase is a milestone for the proposed corridor.

Members of the public are encouraged to review the draft environmental document and provide input beginning April 5 through May 31. The Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, including a Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation, is available at i11study.com/Arizona. The website also lists locations throughout the study area where a copy of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement is available for review.

Prepared by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement describes the study process, completed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. It proposes a Recommended Corridor Alternative, including a parallel analysis of the No-Build Alternative.

The Recommended Corridor Alternative is 2,000 feet wide and includes an area where construction of I-11 could be further analyzed. If a corridor is selected at the end of the Tier 1 study, further Tier 2 studies and evaluations must take place before construction could be considered. The corridor would be narrowed to a highway alignment, which is about 400 feet wide. An alignment determining where I-11 could be built would be decided during a future phase of design and environmental studies. Currently, however, there are no plans or funding available to initiate these Tier 2 studies.

There are several ways to submit comments on the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, including online, in person at a public hearing, and by email, U.S. postal mail and a bilingual telephone hotline. The same information, as well as opportunities for the public to comment, will be available at each hearing:

In addition to providing verbal or written comments at a public hearing, comments can be submitted using the following methods:

Online: i11study.com/Arizona
Email: [email protected]
Bilingual Phone: 1.844.544.8049
Mail: I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team, c/o ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Once the public comment period is complete for the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, the I-11 study team will continue to evaluate the Recommended Corridor Alternative based on the comments received and the ongoing technical analysis. The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement will present a Preferred Corridor Alternative and the No-Build Option. Finally, the Record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration will present either a Selected Corridor Alternative or the No-Build Option.

The proposed I-11 is envisioned as a multi-use corridor that would provide a connection from Mexico to the Hoover Dam, connecting with I-11 in Nevada. This proposed statewide highway would improve Arizona’s access to regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for enhanced travel, mobility, trade, commerce, job growth and economic competitiveness. While the evaluation phase of this high-priority and high-capacity transportation corridor has begun, funding for further studies, design and construction has not been identified.

In 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, formally designated I-11 in Arizona. The designation doesn’t include funding but identifies I-11 as a high-priority corridor eligible for federal funding. I-11 is envisioned to include a combination of new and existing roadways.

For more information about I-11 and the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, visit i11study.com/Arizona.

PHOENIX – After months of technical analysis that includes the results of public, agency and tribal input gathered earlier this year, the Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, has published two key documents as part of the environmental study for Interstate 11 from Nogales to Wickenburg.

The Alternatives Selection Report and 2017 Agency and Public Information Meeting Summary Report, available at i11study.com/Arizona under the Documents tab, reflect a year’s worth of study, analysis and meetings with communities, agencies and stakeholders, and present the corridor alternatives moving forward.

“Interstate 11 is part of the larger picture when we talk about planning for Arizona’s transportation future and enhancing our state’s Key Commerce Corridors,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “As we look to invest and prioritize needs to improve our state highway system, we must consider how to better connect people, communities and markets. Efforts like this I-11 study begin with planning, and that includes the technical work and the equally important conversations we have with the public every day.”

The Alternatives Selection Report defines and evaluates a reasonable range of corridor options to advance to the next phase of the three-year Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Ultimately, these corridor options will be assembled into end-to-end alternatives that run throughout the entire 280-mile long corridor from Nogales to Wickenburg.

A Tier 1 environmental study evaluates proposed 2,000-foot wide corridors that could contain specific routes. A Tier 2 environmental study will narrow the corridors even further into 400-foot alignments that identify specific roadways.

The corridor options presented in the Alternatives Selection Report consider transportation performance, environmental concerns, community and economic development, and public, agency and tribal input. Moving forward, the corridor options presented in the Alternatives Selection Report will be further evaluated, and the outcomes of this analysis will be included in the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement that is scheduled for completion in 2018. The draft environmental document will also include a no-build alternative.

In May of this year, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration asked the public and agencies to share their ideas, comments and concerns about the I-11 environmental study. Six public meetings, four agency meetings and five tribal meetings were held, along with a 30-day comment period. The 2017 Agency and Public Information Meeting Summary Report has helped determine ADOT’s suggestions regarding corridor options as the study enters the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase.

More than 2,300 comments were received and documented, and more than 600 people attended the public meetings. Comment themes regarding a new I-11 corridor include consideration of existing and proposed local and regional transportation plans; the need to study opportunities that foster economic development; and the importance of protecting environmentally sensitive resources. While some stated that they prefer freeway alternatives that build upon and improve existing roadway infrastructure, others said they favor building an entirely new interstate freeway.

Comments also noted that a new freeway like Interstate 11 could address transportation concerns, such as relieving regional congestion, improving travel time and reliability, improving freight travel and reliability, and reducing bottlenecks on existing freeways. Other comments favored the no-build alternative, in which Interstate 11 would not be built. All comments are included in the appendices of the 2017 Agency and Public Information Meeting Summary Report, and the incorporation of comments into the decision-making process is summarized in the Alternatives Selection Report.

The next round of public involvement opportunities is scheduled to take place in late 2018, when ADOT presents the Draft Tier 1 EIS, which will consider a reasonable range of build alternatives and the no-build alternative. Public hearings will be held throughout the study corridor as part of the process. The Final Tier 1 EIS, which will include a preferred corridor alternative or the no-build option, and the Record of Decision are expected in 2019.

A future I-11 corridor would likely follow US 93 from the town of Wickenburg north to the Arizona-Nevada line. The corridor that is the focus of the current environmental study begins in Nogales and runs north to the Tucson area, then to Casa Grande, then west of the Phoenix metropolitan area, and ends in Wickenburg.

Throughout the course of the study, the public, communities and other stakeholders are encouraged to comment and help shape the proposed I-11 corridor. All comments are entered into the project record.

Comments can be sent to:

• Email: [email protected]
• Toll-free bilingual telephone hotline: 1.844.544.8049
• Mail:
  Interstate 11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team
  c/o ADOT Communications
  1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F
  Phoenix, AZ 85007

For more information about the I-11 study, visit i11study.com/Arizona.