ADOT’s tentative Five-Year Construction Program is now online and available for your review and comments.

But before you go and have a look, we want to let you know that this year’s draft is a little different from what you've seen in the past…

Yes, the Five-Year Construction Program still serves as a blueprint for ADOT.

And, just like it has in previous years, the plan details where, when and how regional, state and federal funding will be spent for projects over the next five years to improve our sate’s transportation infrastructure.

However, for this year’s plan (which is still a tentative program right now), ADOT has determined that $350 million must be cut due to stagnant revenue from the gas and vehicle license taxes and from decreased federal funding.

As a result, the 2014-2018 Five-Year Construction Program reflects a major focus on preserving our existing state highway system while moving some programmed projects forward.

Other programmed projects in the five-year plan will need to be delayed to future years due to significantly less funding.

Preserving our system means protecting our investment of $18.4 billion – this is the value of the state highway system through monies spent on expansion, modernization and preservation projects.

What this means…

Over the next five years, there will be less focus on expansion of the system statewide. This is the first Five-Year Program that will reflect this dramatic change for the agency.

This issue will be present in 2013, but will become much more pronounced by 2016, when $250 million will be cut from the program, and in 2017, when an additional $100 million will be cut from the program.

“We are at a crossroads,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “The time has come to make some tough decisions about how to spend our limited transportation dollars. We are standing at a wide funding gap between the need for future transportation options and the reality of insufficient funds to pay for them. We need to move forward with a plan that focuses on preserving the good work we’ve done in creating a state highway system that connects communities and economies.”

The State Transportation Board will conduct public hearings to allow for additional community input.

What’s your opinion?
The public comment period for the Tentative Five-Year Program is now under way. As ADOT moves toward a preservation-based system, there are three scenarios that are being considered for implementation. All three scenarios are available for public comment:

• Scenario A – Focus on Preservation: This scenario focuses the most investment on keeping the existing highway system in good repair with the least investment in programmed major projects in greater Arizona. There would be 81 preservation projects from 2014 to 2016, 39 bridge projects, one major project and 690 miles of pavement projects. An average of $184 million per year in preservation from 2014 through 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2031 with this scenario.
• Scenario B – Focus on Programmed Major Projects: This scenario focuses the most investment on major projects that are programmed in greater Arizona with the lowest investment in keeping existing highways in good repair through preservation. There would be nine major projects from 2014 to 2017. From 2014 to 2016, there would be 25 bridge projects and 458 miles of pavement projects. An average of $142 million per year in preservation from 2014 to 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2017 with this scenario.
• Scenario C – Combination of Preservation and Major Projects: This scenario focuses on some investment in major projects that are programmed in greater Arizona with less investment in keeping existing highways in good repair. There would be four major projects from 2014 to 2017, 39 bridge projects from 2014 to 2018 and 524 miles of pavement projects. An average of $149 million per year in preservation from 2014 to 2018 would be allocated. Arizona’s interstate system is projected to fall below current standards for pavement quality in 2021 with this scenario.

How to comment

ADOT welcomes feedback and has provided the following options to submit your comments:

• Email: [email protected]
• Online comment form
• Phone: 855.712.8530
• Print and mail the comment form to: ADOT 5-Year Program, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The State Transportation Board will consider all public comments received by May 17. Public hearings will be conducted on March 8 in Phoenix, April 12 in Tucson and May 10 in Flagstaff to allow for additional community input (see details above). The board is expected to adopt the final 2014-2018 Five-Year Program at the June 14 meeting in Pinetop-Lakeside.

ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan was formally adopted earlier this month.

You might remember that we blogged about the plan and wrote about the successful outreach effort used to help shape the plan.

ADOT planners will now use the Long-Range Transportation Plan as a guide to build a transportation system designed to carry Arizona into the future!

But just who is this group – otherwise known as the State Transportation Board – that adopted the plan?

The State Transportation Board is made up of seven members appointed by the Governor. Six of the members are chosen to represent a specific transportation district and one serves at large. Board members serve a term of six years each.

In addition to serving in an advisory capacity to the ADOT Director, the Transportation Board is granted specific policy powers and duties, including:

• Responsibility for establishing a complete system of state highway routes and determining which state highway routes are accepted into the state highway system and which state highway routes are to be improved.
• Final authority on establishing, opening, relocating, altering, vacating, or abandoning any portion of a state route or state highway, including establishment of parkways and historic and scenic roadways.
• Awarding construction contracts and monitoring the status of construction projects.

And it doesn’t end with roads… the Transportation Board also:

• distributes the money appropriated from the State Aviation Fund for planning, design, development, land acquisition, construction and improvement of publicly owned airport facilities;
• approves airport construction;
• has the exclusive authority to issue revenue bonds for financing needed transportation improvements throughout the state;
• determines priority program planning with respect to transportation facilities;
• annually adopts the five-year construction program;
• and, as we mentioned earlier, adopts the Long-Range Transportation Plan.

The board typically meets once a month and its meetings are open to the public. For more about the board, or to check out the minutes of past meetings, visit the State Transportation Board.