PHOENIX – As the North-South Corridor environmental study progresses with some changes to the proposed corridor alternatives, the Arizona Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, is now seeking comments on the options from the public and agencies.

There have been several changes to the study since 2014, when the last formal public comment period was held. Most notable is the switch to a different environmental review process – a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement. This tiered environmental study will establish the selected alternative, while funding is pursued for further studies.

During the previous project-level environmental review in late 2014, an Alternatives Selection Report was presented. Since that time, some of the proposed alternative corridors have been modified to avoid sensitive resources. Those modified alternative corridor options are now ready for review via an online mapping and comment tool that can be accessed here: azdot.gov/NorthSouthCorridorStudy.

The North-South Corridor, spanning more than 40 miles between US 60 and Interstate 10 in Pinal County, includes multiple proposed alternative corridors with segment options throughout, along with the no-build alternative. The online mapping tool allows users to drop a pin and comment on a specific area, or provide general comments on the study corridor. The comment period runs for 30 days. All comments received by Dec. 14 will be entered into the Corridor Selection Report for this phase of work. However, comments are encouraged through all phases of the process. Comments can also be provided via email, postal mail or by telephone.

The planned North-South Corridor would accommodate anticipated growth in the study area and across the larger region; improve access to future activity and population centers; and improve regional connectivity. As part of the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, ADOT and FHWA would also identify a corridor that would extend State Route 24 from Ironwood Drive and connect with the North-South Corridor.

The Tier 1 environmental study process will conclude with a Record of Decision by the Federal Highway Administration. The document will allow a project-level Tier 2 environmental study process to move forward, once funding is secured. The no-build alternative could also be selected.

If the North-South Corridor advances, the project could be built in full or in phases, once funding has been identified for construction. 

A public hearing will be held once the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement is published and ready for comment. The Tier 1 environmental study is expected to be complete in 2020.

PHOENIX – A public meeting on the selection of a recommended alignment for a 14-mile segment of State Route 30 in the West Valley is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, Nov. 16.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is hosting the meeting so the public can learn more and provide comments about the recommended alignment, or “build alternative,” for State Route 30 between the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway (at 59th Avenue) in west Phoenix and Sarival Avenue in Goodyear.

What: State Route 30 Public Information Meeting
When: Thursday, Nov. 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (presentation at 6:30 p.m.)
Where: Fowler Elementary School, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

SR 30 will travel along a corridor approximately 4 miles south of and parallel to Interstate 10. Should the recommended alignment, known as the Hybrid Alternative, ultimately become the preferred alternative, the first phase of construction of SR 30 as an arterial-style roadway is scheduled to start in 2022.

The recommended SR 30 Hybrid Alternative was selected from among four potential alignments studied in detail by an ADOT project team in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). ADOT considered earlier public feedback as well as the results of a technical analysis in recommending the Hybrid Alternative.

A “no-build” alternative remains an option being considered for SR 30 between Loop 202 and Sarival Avenue.

Representatives from ADOT and the project team will be on hand at the meeting to answer questions about SR 30. That includes questions about the state’s program for purchasing some properties should the Hybrid Alternative advance to become the selected alignment following an environmental assessment scheduled for completion in 2019.

SR 30 has been part of the MAG Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. It had recently been an unfunded long-range project. However, MAG, the regional freeway planning agency, approved updated funding projections earlier this year and scheduled the 2022 start of construction for SR 30 as an interim four-lane roadway within the freeway alignment. Expansion into a full urban freeway would be scheduled at a later date when adequate funding is available.

Public comments will be gathered at the SR 30 meeting. ADOT also will accept comments through Dec. 15 via email at [email protected], by mail at ADOT Community Relations, 1655 W. Jackson Street, Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007 or by phone at 1.855.712.8530. Information about SR 30 can be found at azdot.gov/SR30.

PHOENIX – After two years of research and analysis, the public now has the opportunity to comment on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s draft long-range plan, outlining strategies for meetings the state’s highway and bridge needs over the next 25 years.

ADOT’s Tentative Long-Range Transportation Plan, which is required to be updated every five years, is available for comment through Dec. 21 and can be reviewed at azdot.gov/WhatMovesYouArizona. The CiviComment online tool, which is also available on the project website, allows users to comment on the full report or comment on individual pages pulled from the document.

ADOT has spent the past two years drafting this update to the Long-Range Transportation Plan, which looks through 2040. The project team conducted stakeholder outreach, gathered extensive public comment across the state and worked through months of technical analysis.

During the 25-year period of this draft plan, about $923 million in annual highway capital funding will be available from state and federal sources. On average, the Phoenix and Tucson regions are expected to receive $512 million annually. Of that, $223 million comes from voter-approved regional programs in those two metropolitan areas dedicated largely to highway expansion. ADOT’s Recommended Investment Choice calls for all of the remaining annual average of $411 million to go toward preserving and modernizing highways in Greater Arizona.

The recommendation outlined in the Tentative Long-Range Transportation Plan is in line with public and stakeholder outreach, in which most participants listed preservation, safety and modernization projects as their highest priorities for Greater Arizona.

The State Transportation Board approved the Tentative 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan on Oct. 20, allowing it to move forward for public review and comment. The Long-Range Transportation Plan is expected to be finalized in early 2018.

Comments can also be sent to:

• ADOT Project Information Line: 1.855.712.8530
• Mail:

Long-Range Transportation Plan
c/o ADOT Communications
1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Visit azdot.gov/WhatMovesYouArizona for more information on ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on options for the US 60 bridge over Pinto Creek, including the agency’s decision to pursue removing and replacing the structure.

Built in 1949, the 637-foot-long Pinto Creek Bridge, located east of the Valley between Superior and Miami, no longer meets minimum standards set by the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and ADOT’s bridge design guidelines. Though it continues to be safe for traffic, the structure is considered structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.

In accordance with federal law governing proposed transportation projects involving sites with historic significance, ADOT is seeking public input on possible courses of action for the Pinto Creek Bridge. These are:

• Building a new bridge and removing the existing bridge, the action that ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration have decided to pursue
• Rehabilitating the existing bridge
• Building a new bridge and rehabilitating the existing bridge
• Taking no action

The Arizona Federal Highway Administration office has completed a report, Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation and Approval for FHWA Projects that Necessitate the Use of Historic Bridges, which is posted at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge. Comments can be submitted by email to [email protected], by calling the ADOT Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or by mail to:

ADOT Communications
1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Comments must be received by Dec. 8 to be included in the official project record.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, as part of a process to streamline environmental reviews for certain projects while fulfilling all federal requirements, has initiated the process to assume environmental authority and review responsibility required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for many federally funded highway projects statewide.

A draft Memorandum of Understanding between ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration, under which the Federal Highway Administration would assign its environmental review authority and responsibility to ADOT, is now available for review and comment.

The public comment period runs through Nov. 24, 2017.

The proposed Memorandum of Understanding addresses projects found not to have significant environmental impacts, commonly referred to as Categorical Exclusions. Under NEPA assignment, the state assumes the process, decision-making and legal responsibility for the National Environmental Policy Act requirements that the Federal Highway Administration carries out during project review and delivery. Learn more on ADOT’s Environmental Planning web page.

Alaska, California, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Utah have taken or are pursuing similar action, as it may enable states to save money and time when delivering transportation projects. The federal government recognizes that states can achieve environmental compliance while streamlining certain review processes and without federal oversight at the project level.

ADOT is also developing a similar Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Highway Administration for highway projects that require either an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. That agreement is expected to be in place in 2018.

Formal notice in the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2017-23011.

Review the proposed Memorandum of Understanding: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FHWA-2017-0044-0001.

MESA – The Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration have scheduled two open house meetings on Monday, Nov. 6, to allow the public to learn about and share input on alternatives for improving US 60X, the Mesa roadway known locally as Main Street/Apache Trail.

The meetings are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at:

Red Mountain Library
635 N. Power Road
Mesa

Formal presentations begin 30 minutes into each session. Members of the project team will be available before and after to answer questions, and participants can view and provide comments on maps illustrating two alternatives for US 60X.

The meetings are part of a study that will lead to a Corridor Master Plan creating a vision and investment priorities for the stretch between Sossaman and Meridian roads, including long-term improvements that address safety, mobility, access and drainage.

More information on the study is available at azdot.gov/US60XMainStreetStudy.

Comments also are welcome by email at [email protected], by phone at 855.712.8530 and by mail at:

ADOT Communications
1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F
Phoenix, AZ 85007

PHOENIX – Whether it’s communicating with travelers during a freeway closure or pointing out that a chair obstructing travel lanes looks like it belonged to Archie Bunker, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Twitter account is there for motorists night and day, 365 days a year.

Since @ArizonaDOT launched in 2008, more and more Arizonans have turned there to get answers and to share information, making it the most-followed state government Twitter handle in Arizona.

As of this week, the number of followers has surpassed 200,000.

“Twitter is one of the most visible ways ADOT makes transportation personal for Arizonans, giving everyone the chance to tweet a quick question and get a quick answer, often delivered with a dash of humor,” said Kevin Biesty, the agency’s deputy director for policy. “Topping 200,000 followers is confirmation that we’re engaging people at an individual level, and it inspires us to do even more.”

Five years ago, ADOT stationed public information officers at its Traffic Operations Center to use Twitter and other communication channels to share traffic conditions, answer questions and get feedback from motorists. The follower count for @ArizonaDOT has grown exponentially since then, as Arizonans and others turn there for real-time updates, detour information, answers to Motor Vehicle Division questions, safety tips, tweets showing edgy freeway signs and even an occasional photo of a dog being rescued from a freeway.

To date, those public information officers have sent more than 142,000 tweets.

Complementing the many Twitter updates with critical information such as this, the most-viewed tweet from @ArizonaDOT in February 2017 …

Both lanes of I-17 southbound have reopened south of Munds Park at milepost 317.

… is the occasional nod to the humorous or absurd, such as this top tweet, accented with photos of the chair and TV character, from September 2016:

L-101 SB near Indian School: Archie Bunker’s chair is partially obstructing the two right lanes.

@ArizonaDOT is just one of the ways ADOT makes transportation personal through social media. The agency’s Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT) has more than 50,000 followers, its YouTube channel (youtube.com/ArizonaDOT) recently recorded its 1 millionth video view and its Flickr page (flickr.com/ArizonaDOT) offers more than 7,000 photos. The ADOT Blog (azdot.gov/adot-blog), which offers an inside look at ADOT initiatives and projects several times a week, was recently named best in the nation by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

ADOT continues looking for the latest ways to engage motorists, and even more is on the horizon.

What will that be? Stay tuned to @ArizonaDOT.

PHOENIX – Southern Arizona residents and business operators are invited to ask questions and offer comments about options for improving the Interstate 19 east frontage road between Rio Rico and Ruby Road at a public meeting on Sept. 13.

The event will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Calabasas Middle School, 131 Camino Maricopa in Rio Rico. The meeting will be an open house format with a presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Community input will help determine which alternative will be selected for design and construction of improvements on the east frontage road.

During a 30-day comment period beginning Sept. 13, comments also can be submitted in these ways:

• Call the ADOT Bilingual Project Information Line at 855.712.8530
• Email to [email protected]
• Mail written comments to ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ,  85007

Comments must be received by Oct. 13 to be included in the public record.

Please visit the azdot.gov/i19ruby for more information.

PHOENIX – Nearly 800 people attended three public meetings on preliminary design plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, providing input and asking questions that will guide final design of the 22-mile-long link between the West Valley and East Valley.

The meetings, held in Ahwatukee Foothills, Laveen and west Phoenix, provided an opportunity for residents to learn more about the freeway’s alignment, traffic interchanges, noise walls, landscaping and aesthetics.

Representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the developer, Connect 202 Partners, answered questions, received feedback and encouraged attendees to provide comments on detailed design plans.

“The South Mountain Freeway has generated significant interest, as evidenced by the great attendance at these design meetings,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer of major projects.

All input is being assessed by ADOT’s development team and, when possible, will influence how the freeway is constructed.

A comprehensive summary of the public meetings, which will be posted at SouthMountainFreeway.com in November, will address any questions that remained unanswered after the three meetings. Participants submitted about 500 comment forms and question cards.

For those who were unable to attend the meetings, the presentations have been posted online and the public can provide feedback through Thursday, Oct. 20, in these ways: 

• Online: SouthMountainFreeway.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558
• Mail: ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The latest project information is available via the project website at SouthMountainFreeway.com, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website) and the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558). 

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began in September with improvements to the Interstate 10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work includes extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders to Pecos Road near 48th Street. Construction of the mainline freeway is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley when it opens to traffic by the end of 2019.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Thirteen years of public involvement helped shape plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. With the Arizona Department of Transportation preparing to begin construction along the 22-mile corridor, the community can continue providing feedback and seeking information by attending meetings, connecting online and using other resources.

“As with any project, our goals are informing and listening to the public,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer for major projects. “The South Mountain Freeway is a critical project for the region, and there are many opportunities for the public to stay engaged as we start construction and look forward to opening the freeway corridor by the end of 2019.”

Beginning later this month, ADOT will hold three public meetings to provide details and seek input on preliminary design plans:

• Tuesday, Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen
• Thursday, Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

All meetings are scheduled for 6-8 p.m., with presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The meetings will provide information on the freeway’s location, profile, interchange configurations and noise barrier locations, as well as initial concepts for landscaping and visual appearance. The preliminary design has been updated since it was circulated for public comment along with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2013.

Construction is set to begin Monday, Sept. 12, with crews widening the shoulders from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work will also include the extension of the existing Loop 202 HOV lanes. This initial phase of work will be completed prior to the construction of the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

As part of its commitment to public involvement, ADOT is seeking input from anyone with an interest in the freeway. There are several ways to do so:

• Online: azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558

The latest project information is available via the project website at azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website), the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558) and newspaper advertising.

Extensive public input, including feedback provided by the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team that met from 2001 to 2013, informed the study behind the South Mountain Freeway, including

• identifying more than 30 alternative alignments.
• helping determine interchange locations.
• recommending ways to reduce the right of way required.
• proposing ways to minimize other impacts.
• suggesting design options.

During the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase, ADOT collected and recorded more than 8,000 public, agency and stakeholder comments.

The 22-mile freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.