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.

PHOENIX – As the Interstate 11 environmental study progresses and new proposed corridor alternatives have taken shape, the Arizona Department of Transportation is once again looking to the public and agencies to get involved and comment on the work that’s been done over the past year.

Six public meetings have been scheduled in May as part of ADOT’s commitment to study and get input on a 280-mile-long corridor stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg.

During the first year of this three-year study that began in March 2016, ADOT evaluated a wide range of alternatives ‒ or possible routes ‒ in order to narrow the choices to the recommended range of reasonable alternatives to be evaluated further in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement. These alternative corridor options will be available for review and comment at the public meetings and during a 30-day public comment period.

The final set of corridor options, which will be determined after the public comment period, will be subject to further analysis as part of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement. A no-build option will also be evaluated.

I-11 is envisioned as a multimodal corridor connecting Arizona with regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for mobility, trade, commerce, job growth and economic competitiveness. While the planning phase for this high-priority corridor is well underway, funding for further studies, design and construction has yet to be identified.

“As we look to invest and prioritize needs to improve Arizona’s transportation infrastructure, we must begin with planning for the future and how to better connect people, communities and markets,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Our global competitiveness and high-paying jobs depend directly on our ability to move people, products and services quickly and efficiently throughout our state and beyond its borders. That’s why Interstate 11 is being considered as a critical component in Arizona’s freight and travel network.”

The alternative corridor options that will be presented for review were developed from several factors: input from last year’s public and agency scoping period, technical analysis, findings from previous studies, and public comment through emails, calls, mail and the study website.

The public comment period will begin on April 28. That’s when the latest study and meeting materials will be posted to the Interstate 11 website at i11study.com and an online mapping and comment tool will be activated. The comment period runs through June 2. The schedule for the six public meetings is here:

Tuesday, May 2

Arizona Riverpark Inn
777 W. Cushing St.
Tucson 

Wednesday, May 3

Marana Middle School – cafeteria
11285 W. Grier Road
Marana

Thursday, May 4

Nogales High School – cafeteria
1905 N. Apache Blvd.
Nogales

Wednesday, May 10

Dorothy Powell Senior Adult Center – dining room
405 E. Sixth St.
Casa Grande

Thursday, May 11

Wickenburg Community Center
160 N. Valentine St.
Wickenburg

Tuesday, May 16

Buckeye Community Center – multipurpose room
201 E. Centre Ave.
Buckeye

All meetings, which will have an open house format, run from 5 to 7 p.m., with presentations beginning at approximately 5:15 p.m. Following the presentations, study team members will be available to answer questions. The same information will be presented at each meeting.

The recommended I-11 corridor would likely follow US 93 from the Hoover Dam bypass bridge south to Wickenburg. The 280-mile corridor that is the focus of the current environmental study begins in Wickenburg and runs west of the Phoenix metropolitan area, south to the Tucson area and then to Nogales.

ADOT is currently developing an Alternatives Selection Report to assess the corridor alternatives and options, along with opportunities and constraints. A Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement will evaluate in greater detail a reasonable range of corridor alternatives, including segments that could advance to design or construction as independent improvements or projects. There will be a no-build alterative as well. The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which would include a preferred corridor alternative or the no-build option, and the Record of Decision are expected in 2019.

Throughout the course of the study, the public, communities and other stakeholders will always have the opportunity 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.  

PHOENIX – Over the past year, the Arizona Department of Transportation asked the public and agencies to share their ideas, comments and concerns about the Interstate 11 environmental study from Nogales to Wickenburg. A summary of comments is now available and will help ADOT select and evaluate corridor alternatives for further study.

Last summer, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration held a 45-day scoping period as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process. ADOT received hundreds of comments from community members, tribal nations and agency representatives. The full Scoping Summary Report is now available in the Arizona section of i11study.com under the “Reports” tab.

Scoping is an early and important step in the environmental review process. During scoping, the public and agencies have an opportunity to provide input, which helps determine the “scope” or range of issues to be addressed in the environmental document, also referred to as the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.

During scoping, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration hosted three agency meetings and six public meetings in seven locations throughout the corridor study area. Approximately 600 people attended the June 2016 meetings.

ADOT received comments from 74 agencies and tribal governments during the scoping period, and another 834 comments came in from the public. All comments received during the 45-day scoping period are included in the appendices of the Scoping Summary Report.

Agencies provided comments with similar themes about the proposed Interstate 11, including 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. Some agencies stated that they prefer freeway alternatives that build upon and improve existing roadway infrastructure, while others said they favor building an entirely new interstate freeway.

The public had similar comments, along with many others. A majority of the public comments came through an online survey and comment form. Of those 657 responses, community members 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. Survey results and other comments can be found within the Scoping Summary Report .

All feedback received during the scoping process is being used by ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration as the two agencies identify potential Interstate 11 alternatives to be studied, impacts to be considered and evaluation methods to be used during the development of the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement.

In addition to the formal scoping period, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration have spent a lot of time during the past year meeting and talking with the public, agencies, local and tribal governments, and partners about the ongoing Interstate 11 environmental study. Each discussion is an opportunity to hear what people have to say about the proposed interstate freeway that would run border-to-border throughout Arizona.

The next round of public involvement opportunities will take place in 2017, when ADOT presents a reasonable range of alternatives to be further studied. An evaluation of a “no-build” alternative, in which Interstate 11 would not be built, will also be considered.

For more information about the Interstate 11 environmental study and to subscribe for updates, visit i11study.com.

PHOENIX – The numbers speak volumes about Arizona’s interest in the proposed Interstate 11: Six public meetings held recently attracted 540 community members who shared comments and questions. Hundreds more offered their perspectives online.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s Interstate 11 study team visited Casa Grande, Buckeye, Nogales, Tucson, Marana and Wickenburg to involve the community in a process known as public scoping, part of an environmental study to select a corridor alternative between Nogales and Wickenburg.

That had ADOT representatives answering questions, receiving feedback, and encouraging attendees to mark suggestions and concerns on maps of the 280-mile-long corridor study area.

“We’re excited about the high level of interest and engagement that we’ve seen,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The great turnout and the opportunity for the public to tell us what’s important to them are critical to this process.”

No specific routes for I-11 have been chosen or favored at this early stage in the process. ADOT’s goal is having a selected corridor alternative in place at the end of the environmental study. A no-build alternative will be considered as well.

The next formal public involvement opportunity will begin early next year, when the study team will present possible routes for I-11.

In addition to those who attended the June meetings, 125 people submitted comment forms or surveys and 522 people completed an online survey during a 45-day comment period.

The study team, which also held scoping meetings in Phoenix, Casa Grande and Tucson with representatives of 21 federal, state and local agencies, will now analyze the feedback.

Anyone interested in sharing their views about the study can do so at any time throughout the study process. Information and materials, including a map of the corridor study area, are available at i11study.com/Arizona.

Comments can be provided via mail, email and voicemail:

• 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