A Public Information Meeting was held on December 13, 2000, at the Morristown Elementary School, 25950 West Rockaway Hills Drive, Morristown, Arizona. The purpose of the meeting was to review progress on the study to improve US 93 from the intersection with State Route (SR) 74 south of Wickenburg to the Santa Maria River. The information presented was similar to the previous public meeting held in Wickenburg on August 22, 2000, regarding the proposed Wickenburg bypass. In addition, issues specific to the Morristown area were discussed, including the potential connection of a Wickenburg bypass to US 93/US 60 near the junction with SR 74.

Notice of the 7:00 p.m. meeting was provided in the Wickenburg Sun and the Arizona Republic. The meeting notice included a brief description of the study corridor and the purpose of the Location/Design Concept Study. It also listed persons to contact for more information or to comment on the study.

Study Team members were available before and after the meeting to informally discuss the project. Exhibits were utilized to facilitate discussion, including a map of the entire study corridor with an enlargement of the possible bypass corridors around Wickenburg and a flow chart depicting the study process.

An informational packet from the August 22, 2000, meeting, as well as copies of comment sheets and a recent newsletter, were passed out at the entrance to the meeting. The handout provided information on several items, including the purpose of the meeting, a description of the study, the progress of the study to date, and upcoming events. Reduced-scale copies of the meeting exhibits were attached. The meeting participants were encouraged to submit comments on the comment sheet.

Fifty-three people attended the meeting. The presentation began at 7:15 p.m. with an introduction of the Study Team, followed by descriptions of the study process and the proposed project. The bypass alternatives were then discussed, including the need for the project, evaluation criteria, and the bypass corridor selection process. The alternatives for widening US 93 north of Wickenburg to the Santa Maria River were also presented.

Two preliminary concepts for connecting the bypass to US 60 and SR 74 in the Morristown area were discussed. The presentation showed implementation of three stages of construction: first, connecting a two-lane bypass route to US 60 with an at-grade intersection; second, a diamond interchange; and third, a systems interchange that would be necessary if both the bypass and SR 74 became access-controlled, multi-lane divided roadways.

After the presentation, an open question and answer session was held. The Study Team’s responses are shown in italics.

• Please point out some landmarks on the maps that were presented. Walt Kadle, a local resident, showed where various homes and residential developments were in relation to the proposed bypass connection alternatives.
• Concerns about compensation for lower property values of homes adjacent to bypass and properties taken for new right-of-way. Coral Sheehan, ADOT Right-of-Way Section, described the acquisition and relocation process for properties within new right-of-way. It was also noted that mitigation for visual and noise impacts would be included in the roadway design to minimize impacts on residences.
• Instead of a bypass, use I-10 to Eagle Eye Road to Vulture Mine Road. That option does not address regional traffic from SR 74 and US 60.
• Concerns about the interim route. The Location/Design Concept Study for the interim improvements is underway. No new information is available on this issue.
• Has an environmental study been done? The Draft Environmental Assessment is currently being written.
• We were not notified of previous meetings for this study. The previous five meetings have been advertised in the Wickenburg Sun and the Arizona Republic. Please give us your mailing address if you would like to receive future project mailings.
• Put the bypass connection farther south on US 60, near the railroad crossing, to avoid Morristown. That option would not provide for a reasonable connection to SR 74, but this option will be further evaluated.
• Questions about how the origin-destination study was conducted and its conclusions. The Study Team referred to the study report, which is available on the project web site.
• Questions about the ramp locations and design questions. Questions were answered to the extent possible, but it was noted that the alternatives presented were in the most preliminary stages of development.
• A few participants stated their general opposition to the bypass location and Canamex corridor.
• Concerns about representation of Morristown in Steering Committee meetings. Walt Kadle has been invited to serve on the committee.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Signed: Laura N. Gerbis, Environmental Planner 12/27/00