May 24, 2007

It is no doubt that Arizona is growing.

It's bursting at the seams, rather, if you look closely at the roadways, around Phoenix and Tucson especially. Projections have the state's population growing to 16 million people by 2050, from the 5.1 million counted seven years ago.

The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to expand Interstate 10 to 10 lanes in the next 20 years, among many other major reconfigurations of Arizona roadways. But that's not the only consideration.

Preliminary assessments and inquiries are being made around Arizona by ADOT about a potential I-10 bypass of the metro areas, which could originate near Benson and end in the vicinity west of Buckeye. A meeting was held May 16 at the Baha'i Institute in Eloy for members of the community to educate themselves and give feedback on a study being conducted on the feasibility of such a project.

The concept is so preliminary that ADOT staff presented 10 possible alternatives for the hypothetical roadway. Once the study is completed by the end of this year, the comments and feedback from local communities will go before State Transportation Board. A decision on whether to look into the possibility a bit further or to put it on the back burner will be made then.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://tpd.azdot.gov/planning/i10bypass.php. Maps and PDF presentations are available for download, as well as comment forms, which can be filled out and sent to ADOT from the site.

©Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. 2007