I’m familiar with the 75th Avenue interchange along Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) in the northwest Valley. No, not because I live in the area. I have a friend who did and he always roped me into hauling off junk because I owned a pickup truck. He doesn’t do that anymore, but that’s another story.

It does let me set the stage for telling those of you with an interest in the Loop 101/75th Avenue interchange that on Wednesday, Feb. 10, ADOT will be hosting an online virtual public meeting about future changes at that location.

If you have interest and want to participate, the information is below. 

Changes won’t happen overnight. ADOT is in the study phase of preparing for a Loop 101 widening project between 75th Avenue and I-17, which currently is anticipated to start in 2025 when funding is available through the Phoenix area’s Regional Transportation Plan.

ADOT’s work to study three alternatives for changes to improve traffic movement at Loop 101 and 75th Avenue is related to the future freeway widening project. Options include creating a third southbound 75th Avenue left-turn lane for entering the eastbound Loop 101 on-ramp. The added traffic capacity would be designed to improve traffic flow.

Here’s how you can take part in the virtual Loop 101/75th Avenue public meeting on Feb. 10:

• Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 6 to 7 p.m.
• Join via a computer or smartphone with the link https://tinyurl.com/ADOT75AveTI. The meeting number/access code is 146 217 7610. The password is: ADOT2021
• Join via telephone by calling 602.666.0783 and using meeting number/access code 146 217 7610

ADOT’s project team will present an overview of the project followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions or provide comments. 

Information about the three alternatives being considered can be found online at the project website at azdot.gov/75thAveInterchange. Design options include changes affecting 75th Avenue, the eastbound Loop 101 off- and on-ramps at 75th Avenue, eastbound off-ramp at 67th Avenue and possibly the eastbound frontage road east of 75th Avenue.

If you can’t attend, the Feb. 10 meeting will be recorded and posted on the project website, which includes information about how to provide additional comments through Wednesday, Feb. 24. An online survey of the interchange options is also available at surveymonkey.com/r/75thAveInterchange.  

The project is being done in partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the cities of Glendale and Peoria as well as the Federal Highway Administration.

And please, don’t ask me to haul stuff to the landfill. Thanks.

If you follow us on social media or check out our website from time to time, you’ve probably noticed that ADOT hosts a lot of public meetings.

From the annual hearings for the Five-Year Construction Program to the monthly State Transportation Board meetings and everything in between, we’re constantly out there talking and listening about future plans and current projects. Public input really does help shape ADOT’s projects.

We aren’t able to review every single type of meeting in this blog post (there are just too many), but we do want to give you an overview of some of the project-related meetings regularly held throughout the state. Hopefully, by the time you’re done reading this, we’ll have convinced you that you should attend the next one…

Let’s start with corridor study/scoping meetings.

These take place when ADOT is planning for a future transportation corridor. Generally, at this point in the planning process, a large area is being evaluated and no specific route has been identified. Typically, these meetings are held far ahead (sometimes decades) of any construction.

The next set of public meetings is usually held during the pre-design phase. This is when planners are looking at a more targeted, defined area. They’re also looking at environmental concerns at this stage. We’re not just talking trees and birds – ADOT also considers any socioeconomic factors that may impact the area.

It might be a good time for us to point out that all projects are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. We’re not detailing that aspect today, but if you’d like more information on environmental clearances, check out our post from earlier this year.

Finally, we’ve got to tell you about public meetings during the actual construction phase. These will happen if there’s a big impact on an area. ADOT’s Community Relations team will also make presentations and answer questions at various community meetings (HOA, city council, etc.) during this time.

Now that you know all that, maybe you’re still wondering why you should attend.

Senior Community Relations Officer Megan Griego says that meetings give residents a chance to learn information and find out about any potential project impacts. They also give people the opportunity to share their opinions with ADOT.

“The community’s input can really impact the project’s outcome,” she says. “People who live in the community understand how these routes work and they’re able to share valuable information with ADOT.”

What to expect

No two projects or public meetings are exactly the same. Most project-related public meetings will include a project overview, along with details on the current status and future plans.

If you do attend, you’ll hear from a variety of technical experts, engineers, planners and community relations officers.

Maps are usually a given at these meetings, but depending on the project ADOT might be able to provide advanced tools that help the public understand more about the project, including drive-simulations and roundabout “how-to” videos.

After the meeting

All comments collected at the meetings (and through email, mail or the ADOT website) are forwarded on to ADOT’s technical team. That team will research and write replies for all the questions. ADOT either responds in an official document related to the project or posts the answers on the project webpage.

We really are listening

Comments from the public really do make an impact. Remember the San Pedro River Bridge replacement project? Before work got started, residents took part in several ADOT public meetings where different construction alternatives were discussed. The public weighed in and ADOT went with an option that allowed SR 90 to stay open for the duration of the project – something that was important to residents.

How to find out about meetings

Public meetings are often advertised in local newspapers. ADOT will sometimes use radio and television ads to get the word out, too. ADOT sends postcards or fliers to residents near the project area. Social media, email, news releases are all utilized as well. ADOT also works with municipalities to make residents aware.

You’re urged to sign up for updates through our website to ensure you get all the project news for your area.

Now the big question is: Will we see you at our next public meeting? We hope so!

From the way we build roads, to the cost of materials and even the number of cars driving on the street – it’s safe to say things have changed since 1912 when the Arizona Highway Department was first established.

But you don’t just have to take our word … we’ve got plenty of pictures to prove it.

We combed through our archives and decided to periodically post these photos from the past in a new blog series we’re calling, “From the ADOT Archives.”

To get things started, we’re sharing these photographs that were taken at an ADOT public hearing on the evening of April 26, 1972.

As citizens from in and around Oracle, AZ gathered to discuss what were then just proposed changes planned for a stretch of SR 77 between Oracle Junction and Mammoth, President Richard Nixon was serving out his first term in office and “The French Connection” had just been named best picture during the 44th Academy Awards ceremony held about two weeks earlier.

You can see from the crowd shot above that there was quite the turnout.

Many of those in attendance probably had comments to make, but not before seeing a presentation that aptly summed up the road improvements being planned (see photos to the right and note how information was showcased before the days of computers and PowerPoint).

In the photo at left, members of what we’re guessing is the project team, sit at a long table. They’re no doubt discussing with audience members the map and diagram taped up to the wall behind them…

Here we are 40 years later and while a lot has changed at ADOT since these photos were taken, many things remain the same, including the fact that we still hold public hearings to share plans and get feedback from the public.