Officials don’t know how they are going to pay for Interstate 11
As the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study advances, it gained token assistance from Arizona senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, who are proposing an amendment expressing the “sense of the Congress” in support of the proposed Interstate 11.
In addition to Senators McCain and Flake, the amendment is supported by Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).
The proposed amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015 expresses support for I-11 based on “significant enhancement for the western United States” for commerce, tourism, international trade, economic vitality and competitiveness on the global stage. In addition, the proposed amendment supports extending I-11 south to the international border with Mexico and north to the Canadian border.
The Intermountain West is the geographic region of the western United States located between the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the west.
The project would convert U.S. 93 into a four-lane divided highway from Las Vegas to Wickenburg, taking advantage of the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. The freeway will eventually head south from Wickenburg into the area west of the Hassayampa River and connect with Interstate 10, about 40 miles from downtown Phoenix. From there, it would loop through Rainbow Valley, before rejoining I-10 near Casa Grande.
Director Halikowski expressed appreciation for the attention given to I-11 by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. “ADOT appreciates the support of Senators McCain and Flake in highlighting the critical need for I-11 as a driver for continued economic expansion in the Intermountain West region.”
The Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation have been working together since 2012 on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study, which includes detailed corridor planning of an interstate link connecting the Phoenix and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, while extending the corridor through southern Arizona to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. Congress designated the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas as part of the current surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
ADOT is seeking $35 million for a rural/urban highway planning grant for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study Environmental Impact Statement, which would cover the cost of the necessary environmental assessments for this corridor.
The Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study has been a two‐year, multiphase, high‐level study examining the feasibility, benefits, opportunities and constraints of a proposed new interstate highway corridor. The study is expected to be completed this summer.
However, officials don’t know how they are going to pay for it.
In addition to the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation, other study partners are the Maricopa Association of Governments, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Railroad Administration.
Public meetings for the study are scheduled for June 25 from 6-8 p.m. in the Phoenix area and on June 26 from 4-7 p.m. in Las Vegas. A public meeting in Tucson was held on Wednesday. Through July 18, the public can also participate in a virtual meeting, reviewing the latest project information and providing feedback online. The month-long virtual meeting will be hosted on the project website, i11study.com.