The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public comments about the draft Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), which includes a recommended strategy for using anticipated limited funding to preserve existing highways across rural Arizona over the next 25 years.
The draft plan is available for review and comment at adot2050plan.com through Sept. 7, and ADOT also will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 22 (details about signing up for the meeting are below).
The Long Range Transportation Plan is not project-specific. Rather, it provides a blueprint and vision for Arizona’s future transportation system and includes modes of transportation beyond state highways. It sets transportation investment priorities for ADOT and partnering agencies to consider based on anticipated future revenues and costs for improvements.
The draft long range plan includes a projection of $69 billion in transportation revenues, including state, federal and regional funds, between 2026 and 2050, including funding from the new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It also points to anticipated transportation needs totaling $231 billion over that same 25-year period.
The plan’s “preserve and upgrade” strategy focuses on using a greater percentage of available funding on preserving the state’s existing transportation system, including the network of state highways. Required work will include pavement and bridge rehabilitation and maintenance to provide improvements in overall pavement, bridge and safety performance throughout the state.
The plan also expects the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas will have a higher percentage of infrastructure expansion projects, compared to non-urban counties, in part because of regional funds generated in the state’s higher populated counties.
In addition to reviewing and commenting on the draft Long Range Transportation Plan online, comments also can be submitted via email at LRTP@azdot.gov; by phone at 855.712.8530 or by mail at Attn: ADOT LRTP, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007. The online comment form also is available via surveymonkey.com/r/ADOT2050Plan.
ADOT’s virtual public meeting about the draft plan will be from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22. Registration for the Zoom meeting is available at bit.ly/ADOTDraftLRTP
In accordance with state and federal requirements, ADOT is responsible for updating the Long Range Transportation Plan every five years to reflect changing transportation challenges and conditions. Following this final round of public review and comment, the State Transportation Board is expected to consider approval of the long range plan this fall.
