ANTHEM – What to do about Interstate 17?
Public comment during a meeting tonight in Anthem on Arizona Department of Transportation plans for Interstate 17 – or alternative ways to get to Flagstaff – may begin to answer the question.
Citizen input will focus on the "I-17 Alternatives Study" that the department has begun. The study is a preliminary assessment of the need for and feasibility of transit routes north from Phoenix.
"This is a very preliminary planning study," said Doug Nintzel of ADOT. "We have an open mind on where this might lead us."
In 2005, the number of vehicles on Interstate 17 reached more than 213 million near the intersection with Interstate 10 near downtown Phoenix. The total gradually drops heading north, to lows around 15 million on the stretch of I-17 between the Sedona turnoff and Flagstaff. The second-highest volume of traffic on the freeway is around 25 million vehicles in Verde Valley.
Among the study’s findings:
• Traffic along the freeway is more than it can handle, especially from the community of Anthem south.
• Use of the freeway will grow along with population.
• Traffic will exceed capacity outside of metropolitan Phoenix.
• Heavy truck use contributes to delays.
• Increased traffic causes more accidents, often forcing freeway closure and long, unpredictable delays.
The study concludes that the road’s unreliability imposes significant costs on users, and that no practical alternatives exist.
"One thing is for sure," Nintzel said. "An alternative is not going to happen overnight."
He said the department is not strictly limited to considering roadways. Rail also might be considered.
Nintzel said work already is under way on the freeway south of Black Canyon City, with additional lanes and access points aimed at reducing congestion.
But farther north, he points out, patterns of land ownership and difficult terrain are major factors that can limit freeway widening or, for that matter, alternative routes.
The meeting is 5:30- 6:30 p.m. at Boulder Creek High School, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway.
Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
