Interstate 11 meeting set Wednesday in Casa Grande

After three public meetings in Southern Arizona last week with more than 400 people in attendance, there is still time to get involved and comment on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Interstate 11 environmental study.

Three more public meetings are scheduled over the next week to present the proposed corridor alternatives that are included in the 280-mile I-11 study corridor that stretches from Nogales to Wickenburg. See map.

During the first year of this three-year study that began in March 2016, ADOT evaluated a wide range of alternatives ‒ or possible routes ‒ 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 are now 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 ends on June 2, will be subject to further analysis as part of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement. A no-build option will also be evaluated.

The remaining three public meetings include:

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 public comment period began on April 28. All study and meeting materials have been posted to the Interstate 11 website at i11study.com, along with an online mapping and comment tool. The comment period runs through June 2.

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.

In Nevada, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is leading the effort to complete I-11 from US 95 to US 93 near the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, approximately 12.5 miles (Phase 1), while the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is constructing the portion of I-11 from Railroad Pass to US 95, approximately 2.5 miles (Phase 2). Both phases will be built simultaneously with construction expected to be complete in 2018.

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, around Maricopa, 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 can 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.