Oct. 29 marks comment deadline for latest study phase of proposed Pinal County corridor

The comment period began on Sept. 6 and closes at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 29. During the comment period, ADOT held three public hearings in Florence, Eloy and San Tan Valley. The proposed North-South Corridor is a 50-mile highway in Pinal County that would stretch from US 60 in Apache Junction to Interstate 10 in Eloy. It would also connect to State Route 24 in Queen Creek (which up until Queen Creek's recent annexation of 4100 acres north of Germann, was San Tan Valley.)

The entire Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, along with all public involvement materials provided at the public hearings, is available at azdot.gov/NorthSouthStudy. An online comment form is also available on the study website. All comments and questions will be documented and answered in the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which is expected to be complete in 2020.

Prepared by the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement describes the study process, completed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. It proposes a Preferred Corridor Alternative, including a parallel analysis of a No-Build Alternative.

The Preferred Corridor Alternative is 1,500 feet wide and includes an area where construction of a freeway could be further analyzed. If a corridor is selected at the end of the Tier 1 study, further Tier 2 studies and evaluations must take place before construction could be considered. The corridor would be narrowed to a highway alignment, which is about 400 feet wide.

An alignment determining where the North-South freeway could be built would be decided during a future phase of design and environmental studies. There currently are no plans or funding available to initiate these Tier 2 studies.

Anyone can submit comments on the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement through Oct. 29 using the following methods. All methods of comment are considered equally:

• Online: azdot.gov/NorthSouthStudy  
• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Phone: 1.855.712.8530
• Mail: North-South Corridor Study Team, c/o ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007 

Printed copies of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement are available for review at the following locations:

• Eloy Santa Cruz Library: 1000 N. Main St., Eloy, 85131
• Coolidge Public Library: 160 W. Central Ave., Coolidge, 85128
• Florence Community Library: 778 N. Main St., Florence, 85132
• Apache Junction Public Library: 1177 N. Idaho Road, Apache Junction, 85119
• Queen Creek Library: 21802 S. Ellsworth Rd., Queen Creek, 85142

For more information about the North-South Corridor Study and the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, please visit azdot.gov/NorthSouthStudy.