Arizona Transportation Builders Association

Moving Our Economy

 

 

MEDIA ALERT Arizona Transportation Builders Sell T-Shirts to Raises Funds for the Community Food Bank

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Arizona Transportation Builders (ATB) and its many member companies have stepped up to organize a T-Shirt campaign honoring the thousands of essential workers within   infrastructure construction as we “stand #strong”. All proceeds from our “Essential T-Shirts” will be going to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

Our “Essential T-Shirts”, designed and printed courtesy of Garment Graphics, are selling for $15 each with 100% of the proceeds raised going directly to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. 

Arizona Transportation Builders (ATB) has a long history of supporting the local community through volunteer projects, collection drives, and scholarships and has set a goal of $12,500 for the Community Food Bank.

To order one of our “Essential T-Shirts” visit our website at http://www.movingoureconomy.org/ or send an email to :  michele@movingoureconomy.org. 

Arizona Transportation Builders Association (ATB) is a nonprofit organization comprised of more than 90 businesses in Southern Arizona. ATB represents the construction industry, including residential and commercial general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, architects, engineers, service providers and public agencies. Established in 1984, ATB has been instrumental in bringing about economic and infrastructure development in Arizona through involvement in legislative affairs, specification review, highway budgeting and appropriations, and safety education and training. ATB member companies sustain the employment of thousands of Arizonans.

Interstate 11 Draft Environmental Impact Statement available for public review

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Interstate 11 Draft Environmental Impact Statement available for public review

Formal comment period begins April 5; six public hearings set for April and May
PHOENIX – The Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the 280-mile Interstate 11 corridor – stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg – is now available for review and comment. After three years of study, technical analysis, and input from communities and stakeholders, movement of the I-11 Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement to the public comment phase is a milestone for the proposed corridor.

Members of the public are encouraged to review the draft environmental document and provide input beginning April 5 through May 31. The Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, including a Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation, is available at i11study.com/Arizona. The website also lists locations throughout the study area where a copy of the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement is available for review.

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

The Recommended Corridor Alternative is 2,000 feet wide and includes an area where construction of I-11 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 I-11 could be built would be decided during a future phase of design and environmental studies. Currently, however, there are no plans or funding available to initiate these Tier 2 studies.

There are several ways to submit comments on the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, including online, in person at a public hearing, and by email, U.S. postal mail and a bilingual telephone hotline. The same information, as well as opportunities for the public to comment, will be available at each hearing:

Monday, April 29
5 to 8 p.m.
Palo Verde Energy Education Center
600 N. Airport Road
Buckeye

Tuesday, April 30
4 to 7 p.m.
Wickenburg Community Center
160 N. Valentine St.
Wickenburg

Wednesday, May 1
5 to 8 p.m.
Holiday Inn
777 N. Pinal Ave.
Casa Grande

Tuesday, May 7
4 to 7 p.m.
Quality Hotel Americana
639 N. Grand Ave.
Nogales

Wednesday, May 8
3 to 8 p.m.
Tucson Convention Center Ballrooms/Lobby
260 S. Church Ave.
Tucson

Saturday, May 11
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Marana High School Cafeteria
12000 W. Emigh Road
Marana

In addition to providing verbal or written comments at a public hearing, comments can be submitted using the following methods:

Online: i11study.com/Arizona
Email: I-11ADOTStudy@hdrinc.com
Bilingual Phone: 1.844.544.8049
Mail: I-11 Tier 1 EIS Study Team, c/o ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., Mail Drop 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Once the public comment period is complete for the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, the I-11 study team will continue to evaluate the Recommended Corridor Alternative based on the comments received and the ongoing technical analysis. The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement will present a Preferred Corridor Alternative and the No-Build Option. Finally, the Record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration will present either a Selected Corridor Alternative or the No-Build Option.

The proposed I-11 is envisioned as a multi-use corridor that would provide a connection from Mexico to the Hoover Dam, connecting with I-11 in Nevada. This proposed statewide highway would improve Arizona’s access to regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for enhanced travel, mobility, trade, commerce, job growth and economic competitiveness. While the evaluation phase of this high-priority and high-capacity transportation corridor has begun, funding for further studies, design and construction has not been identified.

In 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, formally designated I-11 in Arizona. The designation doesn’t include funding but identifies I-11 as a high-priority corridor eligible for federal funding. I-11 is envisioned to include a combination of new and existing roadways.

For more information about I-11 and the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, visit i11study.com/Arizona.

ARTBA Calls for New Approach to Roadway Safety

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ARTBA is calling for a shift in how the nation approaches roadway safety. The association April 9 submitted its views to a U.S. House Highways and Transit subcommittee hearing.

Rather than the usual federal focus on reducing the number of crashes by improving motorists’ behavior, ARTBA believes the premise must be turned around to accept the fact that some drivers will inevitably make mistakes. On all major routes—and others to the extent practicable—the U.S. roadway system must anticipate user error and be designed, constructed, equipped and operated to forgive the errant user and protect the innocent worker, pedestrian, cyclist or other driver, ARTBA’s written testimony says.

“We have the technology and ‘know how’ to build our roadway system to anticipate user error,” ARTBA’s testimony says. “It can be designed, constructed, equipped, and operated to forgive the errant user and protect the innocent victim.”

More than 37,000 people were killed in 2017 U.S. traffic crashes, including roadway workers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Work zone fatalities increased to 799 in 2017 from 586 in 2010. (2018 data is not available.)

ARTBA’s testimony emphasizes highway work zone safety. It reminds Congress that through federal rulemaking after the SAFETEA-LU surface transportation law and further provisions in both the MAP-21 and FAST Act laws, lawmakers and previous administrations have expressed the intent to use increased positive separation between workers and motorists on construction projects.

“The law has not been fully implemented and positive separation is still not used as regularly as Congress intended,” ARTBA’s testimony says. “New products and technologies are available that make the practice more practical and cost-effective.”

ARTBA has previously called for the repeal of a century-old federal procurement rule that has become a major regulatory roadblock to new technologies that promise to help advance safety and alleviate traffic congestion.

ARTBA’s testimony also notes that sound investment in safe transportation infrastructure is a bi-partisan priority. The association is urging Congress and the administration to pass a permanent, sustainable revenue solution for the Highway Trust Fund, either as part of broad infrastructure legislation or next year’s scheduled reauthorization of the FAST Act.