I-11

[joebartels]

PHOENIX – The next phase of defining an Interstate 11 corridor through Arizona offers the public a chance to help shape the vision for a route intended to enhance trade and boost Arizona’s economy.

In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and regional planning agencies, the Arizona Department of Transportation has launched a three-year environmental study to select an I-11 corridor alternative between Nogales and Wickenburg.

Extending from Nogales through the Las Vegas area to northern Nevada – and possibly north toward Canada ­– Interstate 11 would support large-scale manufacturing, enhance movement of people and freight by vehicle and potentially rail, and be a corridor for trade, communications and technology.

A three-year environmental study will consider possible routes between Nogales and Wickenburg. The first step is developing an Alternatives Selection Report assessing a wide range of corridor alternatives and options, along with opportunities and constraints. A Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement will evaluate in greater detail a smaller number of corridor alternatives, including segments that may advance as independent projects. There will be a no-build alterative as well.

Input from the public, communities and other stakeholders will contribute to these two reports, as well as a Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement that will list a selected corridor alternative.

“The Arizona Department of Transportation and our partner agencies and stakeholders have long recognized the importance of the Interstate 11 corridor and the benefits that it will bring to our state through trade, commerce, job growth and economic vitality,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “This congressionally designated high-priority corridor offers the opportunity for Arizona to stay competitive, create regional and global connections, and provide a direct link to success in the global marketplace.”

In November 2014, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation completed a two-year feasibility study as the first step in the Interstate 11 process. ADOT focused on and supported a route through Arizona connecting Nogales and the Hoover Dam bypass bridge near Las Vegas.

In December 2015, Congress approved the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, five-year legislation to improve the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. While the FAST Act formally designates Interstate 11 from north to south in Arizona, it does not include funding. It does, however, make the corridor eligible for federal funding in the future.

The recommended I-11 corridor would likely follow US 93 from the Hoover Dam bypass bridge south to Wickenburg. The 280-mile corridor study area for the current environmental study begins in Wickenburg and runs west of the Phoenix metropolitan area and then south to the Tucson area and then Nogales.

http://www.i11study.com/arizona/

[RowdyandMe]

@joe bartels
I'll be dead before they finish the environmental study and that's if I live to be 100

[SuperstitionGuy]

And the land will not be purchased until a few wealthy Arizona politicians who are in on the planning have all already purchased it for resale to the government. Think those like the past Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini.




1

[PaleoRob]

Some beautiful country along the proposed route there, at least to Wickenburg. I am torn on this proposal because getting to Vegas from the Valley sucks, but I'd hate to see a new wound ripped into that part of the state.

[mdfabbrini]

I believe that some local Southern Arizona civic leaders and a couple of trucking associations have come out in opposition to a new route that would parallel Interstate 10 and bypass the Tucson metro area - the proposed routes would be far removed from existing rail, distribution, and service infrastructures so as to be almost useless. There's also the issue of the fact that the state can't keep up with maintenance of existing roads, where are the billions going to come from when so many other programs are underfunded, and the fact that Arizona can't compete with other areas because of poor infrastructure, bad education systems, and the lack of water to sustain housing and manufacturing growth. A more direct interstate between Vegas and Phoenix -maybe - but why not just improve Interstate 10 and the existing rail corridors between Phoenix and Nogales?

[Jim]

No one else seemed to notice this and post about it. Nevada is evidently not opposed to this highway, and has made huge progress (albeit over a small portion of the potential road alignment) for I-11 from the Colorado River to where US 95 is basically an interstate highway in the Las Vegas sprawl heading towards Boulder City. I-11 is under construction and according to my paper Nevada state map it will be completed next year. Numerous sections of nearly complete road bed are visible around Boulder City, and there are some under construction bridges visible close to the Hoover Dam Casino.

There are signs for the future corridor in Arizona, but not much else. Even if 11 is never realized in our state, if US 93 was improved to better standards the entire distance from Wickenburg to I-40, that would be great.

[big_load]

I-11 is under construction and according to my paper Nevada state map it will be completed next year. Numerous sections of nearly complete road bed are visible around Boulder City

The corridor has been marked in Nevada for at least a couple years. Some of it has been multi-lane limited access for longer than that.

[Jim]

@big_load
Where exactly? I saw signs for it SE of Las Vegas, but didn't pay attention to notice them in town or out near HWY 157. In theory it will extend to Reno, I believe.

They are building a 10?+ mile section of all new road, too. Arizona has lots of "future" signage, but nothing more than that. Well, except the new bridge over the Colorado River, which was probably at least 20 years over due.

[big_load]

Where exactly?

I saw the signs two years ago when I drove from Las Vegas to Kingman and back. I can't remember what roads I was on besides US93, but it made an impression on me. I think the new bridge at Hoover Dam is marked like that, too.

[whereveriroam]

Give AZ some credit for vastly improving the stretch between Wickenburg and I-40. I used to drive that route in the 90's often and it was mostly a 2 lane divided highway. Lots of crosses along the road side back then and once I came across a motorcyclist who was in pieces along the road. ADOT still has some work to complete but most of it is done. Don't know what their plan is for Wickieup, maybe a by-pass?

[Jim]

@whereveriroam
Yeah, I read about that stuff on US 93 in the 90s. For some reason that road was just completely out dated for the traffic and my guess is that it was for a decade or more. I-17 is sort of the same way, today, as is I-10 west of Phoenix. At least they build the loops around the Valley. Well, then there is Tucson...

[big_load]

Upon further reflection, I pretty sure US 93 was signed as being the future I-11 for quite a way into AZ. What I remember most is that it had some of the longest dead-straight stretches anywhere. It makes the road from Gila Bend to Yuma seem almost serpentine.