ADOT community workshop will plan for Arizona statewide transportation

On behalf of the Building a Quality Arizona (bqAZ) Central Arizona Regional Framework Study effort, ADOT invites Maricopa residents to participate in a community workshop in Coolidge on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m.

All residents are encouraged to attend since community input and participation on the three scenarios to be presented are vital to the success of this effort.

Although a common perception of Arizona focuses on its Native American culture, Wild West history and the Grand Canyon, it nonetheless is one of the nation’s fastest-growing states.

People from all over the country move here to start families and careers and to build quality lives based on Arizona’s landscape, history, culture and opportunities for outdoor recreation. Thus, population and employment growth are driving forces behind the demand for new roads and transit services across the state.

To stay abreast of the needs, the Arizona Department of Transportation is inviting residents statewide to help shape the future of transportation in Arizona by participating in community workshops in early November. The 13 area workshops will provide communities the opportunity to review and comment on possible future transportation ideas.

ADOT began the Statewide Transportation Planning Study in early 2008 to focus on a long-range vision of transportation needs in Arizona. This study is also known as “Building a Quality Arizona” and focuses on the year 2050.

The study is composed of four Regional Framework Studies: northern, western, central, and eastern Arizona. Each Regional Framework Study looks at ways to plan for growth, understand community development and economic patterns, and be prepared for future transportation needs.

“We want to hear what you have to say about our transportation future – the one that will affect your children, your grandchildren and future generations. It is the next step in a collaborative process that began in January with Gov. Janet Napolitano’s executive order to ADOT to examine the status of the state’s roadway system and to come up with solutions, mindful of Smart Growth principles and mechanisms to reduce green house gases,” says Victor Mendez, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

For more information regarding the community workshops or general information about the study, please visit www.bqaz.gov.

If you go:

What: ADOT community transportation workshop
When: Thursday, Nov. 13, 4-8 p.m.
Where: Central Arizona College, Bldg. M, Room 101, 8470 N. Overfield Rd, Coolidge

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