PHOENIX —The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on a proposed bridge replacement project on Interstate 15 in the far northwest corner of the state that is part of a key economic trade corridor that runs from southern California through the Rocky Mountains to Canada.

The public comment period for the I-15 Virgin River Bridge No. 1 reconstruction project and every other project listed in the 2015-2019 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program is already underway. The Five-Year Program is updated every year and serves as a blueprint that details where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for projects over the next five years to improve the state’s transportation infrastructure. This includes highways, bridges, transit and aviation.

The 2015-2019 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program is now available for public review and comment at fiveyearprogram. ADOT has developed a “how to read it” guide and welcomes feedback at [email protected].

The estimated $33 million design and rehabilitation project on Virgin River Bridge No. 1, approximately five miles east of Littlefield, will include the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the environmentally sensitive area of the scenic Virgin River Gorge.

This month, ADOT began a $27 million project to replace Virgin River Bridge No. 6, marking the first of eight bridge rehabilitation projects that will ultimately need to be completed through the gorge.

Work is scheduled to begin on Virgin River Bridge No. 1 in fiscal year 2019 if the project is adopted in the final 2015-2019 Five-Year Program.

The State Transportation Board will consider all public comments received by May 20. Public hearings will be conducted on April 11 in Marana and May 9 in Flagstaff to allow for additional community input. The board is expected to adopt the final 2015-2019 Five-Year Program at the June 13 meeting in Willcox.

For more information about Interstate 15 projects, please visit www.azdot.gov/I15virginriver.

PHOENIX —The largest project in more than 40 years on Arizona’s portion of Interstate 15 will begin next week when the Arizona Department of Transportation starts on the reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 in the far northwest corner of the state.

This extensive rehabilitation project will include the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the scenic Virgin River Gorge, which was the most expensive segment of rural highway ever built in the United States, per mile, when it was completed in 1973 after a decade of construction.

The $27 million project at milepost 16, located approximately 20 miles south of St. George, Utah, is expected to take up to two years to complete. ADOT will begin setting up traffic control on Tuesday, March 25.

With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor and a separate bridge deck surface project already underway on bridges No. 2, 3 and 7, ADOT urges drivers traveling between Mesquite, Nev., and St. George to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the work zone.

During construction, ADOT is committed to keeping at least one lane in each direction open during all phases of construction. I-15 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction at each of the bridge projects and delays are expected.

Despite being cut off from the rest of the state due to the Grand Canyon, Arizona’s 29-mile-long segment of I-15 is one of the most heavily traveled commercial and economic corridors linking southern California with the Rocky Mountain region. Ultimately, ADOT will need to rehabilitate all eight (in seven locations) of the I-15 Virgin River bridges.

While the bridges are still considered safe for travel, they require extensive refurbishment to continue serving the substantial volume of traffic along the I-15 corridor. More than 1.4 million commercial trucks travel annually on Arizona’s portion of the interstate.

Funding all the I-15 Virgin River bridge rehabilitation projects remains a challenge. Current cost estimates for all the necessary improvements in the gorge are as much as $250 million, which is why Arizona initiated discussions in 2011 with the Federal Highway Administration, Nevada and Utah to raise awareness of the situation on I-15 and explore opportunities to identify funding solutions.

In 2012, ADOT received a $21.6 million federal grant for the upcoming Virgin River Bridge No. 6 project in the fourth round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER IV) grant program after the states of Nevada and Utah lent their support.

ADOT remains committed to the Interstate 15 corridor, which passes through the environmentally sensitive area of the Virgin River Gorge (mileposts 13-22) and is widely considered one of the engineering marvels of the federal interstate highway system.

In 2012, ADOT completed an $11.6 million pavement improvement project from the Virgin River to the Utah state line (mileposts 13-29) and has budgeted nearly $15 million to complete the repaving of the entire Arizona segment of the highway by paving a 13-mile portion that extends to the Nevada state line (mileposts 1-13) in 2015.

This spring, ADOT will also be submitting a federal grant application for a 2014 TIGER grant for the proposed I-15 Virgin River Bridge No. 1 project, which is currently listed in the agencies’ Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for fiscal year 2019.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions. Unscheduled restrictions or closures may occur. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 5-1-1; outside Arizona, dial 1.888.411.ROAD (7623).

PHOENIX — Construction work on a series of bridge rehabilitation projects along the Interstate 15 Virgin River Gorge corridor in Arizona is underway, and motorists traveling between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, should plan ahead for delays in both directions through the work zones, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

On Monday and Tuesday, March 3-4, northbound and southbound traffic is scheduled to be switched to the northbound lanes at Virgin River Bridge No. 2 and Bridge No. 3 (both at milepost 13, approximately 15 miles north of Mesquite, Nevada) and Bridge No. 7 (milepost 22, approximately 15 miles south of St. George, Utah) to allow work on the southbound bridge deck surfaces to begin.

I-15 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction at each of the bridge locations and delays are expected. Anticipated completion for this $2.8 million improvement project is this summer.

Drivers should allow 15 minutes extra travel time weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional delays may occur on weekends due to heavier traffic volumes and special events — including spring break from mid-March through late April.

Next month, ADOT is expected to start the reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 (milepost 16, approximately 21 miles south of St. George, Utah). This significant $27 million rehabilitation project will include the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the gorge.

With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, ADOT urges drivers to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the work zone, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions. Unscheduled restrictions or closures may occur, and construction schedules are subject to change.

To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 511; outside of Arizona dial 1.888.411.ROAD (7623).

PHOENIX — As part of an ongoing effort to modernize the Interstate 15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, which was constructed in the 1960s and early 1970s in the far northwestern corner of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a series of bridge rehabilitation projects in early 2014.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 6, ADOT will begin a $2.8 million project to upgrade the southbound bridge surfaces, repair girders and perform other work on Virgin River Bridge No. 2 (milepost 13), Bridge No. 3 (milepost 15) and Bridge No. 7 (milepost 22). Work is expected to be completed by summer 2014.

At the January 2014 State Transportation Board meeting, the board is expected to consider the award of a contract for the reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 (milepost 16). This significant rehabilitation project will include the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the gorge.

The $27 million project, which received a federal grant awarded to ADOT last year in the fourth round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER IV) grant program, is scheduled to launch in spring 2014 and be completed in 2015.

With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, ADOT urges drivers traveling between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the work zone. I-15 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction at each of the bridge projects and delays are expected.

Construction will occur primarily during weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The majority of the work will take place in the southbound lanes, requiring two-way traffic in the northbound lanes.

Despite its remote location in Arizona, I-15 is one of the most heavily traveled commercial and economic corridors linking southern California with the Rocky Mountain region. Ultimately, ADOT will need to rehabilitate all eight of the I-15 Virgin River bridges.

While the bridges are still considered safe for travel, they require extensive refurbishment to continue serving the substantial volume of traffic along the I-15 corridor. More than 1.4 million commercial trucks travel annually on Arizona’s portion of the interstate.

ADOT remains committed to the Interstate 15 corridor, which passes through the environmentally sensitive area of the Virgin River Gorge. When the 29-mile-long Arizona segment of I-15 opened in 1973, the Virgin River Gorge passage was the most expensive section of rural highway, per mile, constructed in the country.

In 2012, ADOT completed an $11.6 million pavement improvement project from the Virgin River to the Utah state line (mileposts 13-29) and has budgeted nearly $15 million to complete the repaving of the entire Arizona segment of the highway by paving a 13-mile portion that extends to the Nevada state line (mileposts 1-13) in 2015.

Funding all the I-15 Virgin River bridge rehabilitation projects will be a challenge. Current estimates for all the necessary improvements could cost as much as $250 million, which is why Arizona initiated discussions in 2011 with the Federal Highway Administration, Nevada and Utah to raise awareness of the situation on I-15 and explore opportunities to identify funding solutions.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions. Unscheduled restrictions or closures may occur. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 5-1-1; outside Arizona, dial 1.888.411.ROAD (7623).

PHOENIX —With limited funds available for maintaining approximately 7,000 miles on Arizona’s highway system, the Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking $40 million from the federal government for two key projects that support the movement of interstate commerce.

The projects include rehabilitating a bridge approaching the Virgin River Gorge on Interstate 15 to and from the Nevada and Utah state lines in Mohave County, and improving Arizona-California border crossing times at the Ehrenberg Port of Entry on Interstate 10 in La Paz County. Both interstates are heavily used by commercial trucks en route to deliver goods to Arizona and the rest of the nation. 

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, all 50 states and the District of Columbia submitted 568 applications in the fifth round of federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER V) grant funds for a total of $9 billion, much more than the $474 million the federal government has allocated for the 2013 program.

Last year, ADOT successfully secured a $21.6 million grant, the largest single grant given to any state last year, to improve Virgin River Gorge Bridge No. 6 on I-15 (milepost 16) in the fourth round of TIGER funding. That rehabilitation project will focus on the first of the eight bridges on the I-15 corridor that have been identified for repair. The $27 million project is slated to begin construction later this year in the northwest corner of Arizona.

In 2010, Tucson successfully won federal funding for a $63 million modern streetcar project through the first round of TIGER funding. To date, the I-15 bridge and Tucson streetcar projects are the only TIGER-awarded projects Arizona has received since the TIGER grant program was launched in 2009.

The following are the projects that ADOT submitted for TIGER V grant consideration this month:

• I-15 Virgin River Bridge No. 1 ($24 million grant, total cost $30 million): The I-15 bridge (milepost 10) is located in the Virgin River Gorge in the northwestern corner of Arizona and serves as a vital link between the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and beyond. The bridge, built in 1964, is rated as “structurally deficient,” meaning it is safe, but requires repair or improvement. While most Arizonans have never driven on this remote 29-mile stretch of highway, it is a critical commercial trade route in North America used by more than 1.4 million trucks annually. The rehabilitation project would include the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway.
• Reconstruction of the Ehrenberg Port of Entry ($16 million grant, total cost $20 million): The project would reconstruct the facility, which was built in 1976, and provide an effective electronic screening system to better facilitate the safe movement of commercial truck traffic into Arizona. The port of entry is located in western Arizona along I-10 approximately three miles from the California state line. As one of the nation’s primary transportation corridors, I-10 provides a safe and expeditious route for commercial truck traffic to deliver goods from international sea ports in Southern California to Arizona and across the nation.

TIGER grants are awarded to transportation projects that have a significant national or regional impact. Projects are chosen for their ability to contribute to the long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improve the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the safety of U.S. transportation facilities, and enhance the quality of living and working environments of communities through increased transportation choices and connections. The U.S. DOT gives priority to projects that are expected to create and preserve jobs quickly and stimulate increases in economic activity.

The U.S. DOT is expected to announce the recipients of the TIGER V grants later this year.