PHOENIX AZ (October 22, 2012) – Almost every driver traveling uphill has experienced getting stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle or truck and not being able to pass, so the Arizona Department of Transportation has a solution on one heavily traveled stretch on Interstate 17.In an effort to improve safety, ease congestion and prevent delays on the main travel route between Phoenix and northern Arizona, ADOT will soon begin a project to build a climbing lane on southbound Interstate 17 to the top of Copper Canyon, south of Camp Verde, Arizona.
Last Friday, October 19, the Arizona State Transportation Board awarded an $11.9 million contract to construct a third lane two-miles long at the top of Copper Canyon (mileposts 280-282). As part of the project, ADOT will also add an auxiliary lane between the State Route 260 traffic interchange (milepost 287) and the General Crook Trail traffic interchange (milepost 285), which is located just before the approach to Copper Canyon.
The new lane will allow large trucks to gain speed before merging into the travel lanes.
The safety improvement project, funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, will help facilitate the passing of trucks and slow moving vehicles whose speed drops because of the sustained grades along this stretch of highway. This location carries approximately 28,000 vehicles per day, including significant truck traffic.
“Climbing lanes help reduce collisions and backups by providing slower moving trucks and vehicles an additional, safe lane to travel in,” said ADOT Prescott District Engineer Alvin Stump. “This reduces conflicts between slower moving trucks and passing vehicles. This will allow smoother travel with fewer delays which will be a huge benefit to the public when this project is completed.”
Construction is expected to begin early 2013 and be completed by the end of 2013.
Full closures of I-17 will be necessary due to the required blasting. It is estimated that more than 400,000 cubic yards of roadway excavation will be necessary to complete the project on Copper Canyon, requiring approximately 27,000 truckloads of dirt and rock to be hauled away.
The I-17 lane project is the first of three phases to build an additional lane along the entire 6.5 mile climb to the top of Copper Canyon – approximately 4,700 feet above sea level. However, the additional two phases are not scheduled in ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. No funding is available for the additional two highway phases.
I-17 is a primary Arizona highway route and the only interstate link between the Phoenix metropolitan area and northern Arizona. The interstate provides regional service to residents and commerce between Phoenix and Flagstaff and supports recreational traffic destined for the Grand Canyon, national forests, city of Prescott, the greater Verde Valley and central Yavapai County, and northern and central Arizona reservations. The highway also provides access to Interstate 40, a principal east–west route across the United States.
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The Arizona Department of Transportation continues to study the feasibility of a passenger rail line or bus service between Phoenix and Tucson, the agency will be participating in community events in the Phoenix metro area and the city of Maricopa through the end of October.
In the year since the first public involvement campaign last fall, ADOT has identified six potential rail alternatives and one express bus alternative that could link the two metropolitan areas, while meeting demands for future growth and travel options along one of the busiest interstate corridors in Arizona.
ADOT wants to reach out to community members and get ideas and opinions on the seven options currently under evaluation. The public is encouraged to attend the following events and stop by the ADOT booth to give their input:
Stagecoach Days located at Pacana Park at Porter Road and Allen Stephens Parkway in Maricopa on Oct. 20 from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Gilbert Fall Music and Halloween Festival located at Freestone Park at Lindsay Road and Juniper in Gilbert on Oct. 27 from noon – 9 p.m.
The survey and the complete list of outreach events can be found at http://www.azdot.gov/passengerrail. The public comment period runs through Dec. 15.
Along with the seven potential alignments, ADOT is studying sites for station locations. The alignments include system hubs located near downtown Phoenix and downtown Tucson, and each includes extensions beyond the system hubs that would link to the west Phoenix metropolitan area, as well as Tucson International Airport.
Should the study conclude that a passenger rail line or bus service is feasible between Phoenix and Tucson, ADOT would complete further planning and environmental studies and development activities prior to construction of any segment in the corridor. There is currently no funding identified to build a passenger rail line. ADOT will work with the public, stakeholders and policymakers to identify a funding source, should the project move forward.
For more information about ADOT’s Passenger Rail Corridor Study, visit http://www.azdot.gov/passengerrail.