ADOT is looking at volume on I-10 through Tucson and projecting that we are going to be in trouble.  Read the study HERE. Data shows that by 2030 between 150-200k cars per day will be using the freeway. Options to expand or build a second deck are too expensive and an equally expensive light rail option would alleviate enough volume.

From Fox News – HERE.

What ADOT is proposing is a bypass from Casa Grande west of Avra Valley then past I-19 then connecting back to i-10 past Vail. The bypass would separate local traffic from travelers and truckers passing through.

Of course the NIMBY factions and the environmental groups are lining up in opposition. Supervisor Bronson who’s district encompasses much of the area came out in The Explorer this past week quoted her as;

“Everybody is opposing,” said Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson. “I don’t know what ADOT is proposing.”

For more than a year, county officials have made known their staunch opposition to the proposed western bypass.

The county, and some federal officials, worry that the roadway would infringe on a 4.25-square-mile mitigation corridor that the Bureau of Reclamation purchased to help preserve mule deer. The animals use the area when crossing between the Tucson and Roskruge mountains.

In its study, ADOT has acknowledged the conflict there and suggested that a land swap would be needed to build the bypass.

“It goes through critical habitat,” Bronson said.

The supervisor said that on Friday and in the coming weeks, state officials should expect to get an “earful” from her on the plan.

Where it gets interesting is that the one shiny spot in our regions economic development future is around transportation logistics and handling freight by rail and truck coming from new deep sea ports in Guymas and from crowded Long Beach. 

The recent ULI Town Hall presentation on the coming Arizona Megaopolis pointed out that a number of the western states will enjoy NAFTA trucking transportation booms for years to come. The transportation corridors can originate in central Texas, El Paso, through Tucson or from the Yuma valley. The winner of the economic boom will be the community that plans ahead and gets their act together quickest.  The freeway bypass would be a huge step forward on getting us ready. Read more HERE.

Read about the Canamex corridor – HERE.