Welcome! The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has begun the second phase of its US 60/US 93 corridor improvement study between State Route 74 and the Santa Maria River. This is the first in a series of public meetings that will be conducted during Phase 2 of the study to obtain your input. The information you give us this evening will be used in developing recommendations for improving and reconstructing the highway.

1. Introduce the Study Team – ADOT is the sponsoring agency with the Federal Highway Administration acting as the lead federal agency. The Bureau of Land Management is a cooperating federal agency. All engineering and environmental planning work will be conducted by Sverdrup Civil, Inc., an engineering firm with over 30 years experience in Arizona.
2. Describe the project and the study – The Study Team will explain the need for the study and how it will be conducted over the next 20 months.
3. Review study activities to date – We will review with you the results of Phase I of the study, which was concluded late last year.
4. Listen to your concerns and comments – One of our primary objectives is to learn about the issues and concerns you feel should be addressed during the remainder of the study.

US 93 is a primary highway route that links the metropolitan Phoenix area to northwest Arizona and beyond. The highway carries local, tourist, commercial, and through-traffic.

Traffic volumes along the route have continually increased over the years. Now that US 93 is part of the National Highway System and has been designated as a North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) route, traffic volumes can be expected to increase even more rapidly, intensifying the need for highway improvements as soon as practicable.

ADOT’s long-range goal is to provide an improved roadway from the Phoenix metropolitan area to the Nevada state line. The study project being discussed this evening is an important link in the overall corridor.

The purpose of this study is to determine the optimum location and design concept for improving the Wickenburg – Kingman Highway from approximately Milepost (MP) 120 on US 60, just south of Wickenburg, to MP 161 on US 93, northwest of town. The 48-mile corridor (Exhibit 1) begins near the US 60/SR 74 junction and extends north through the Town of Wickenburg to the Santa Maria River.

The study will also address a much-needed bypass around downtown Wickenburg as well as intersections with SR 71, US 89, US 60, and possibly SR 74. The results of the study will be documented in a Location/Design Concept Report and an Environmental Assessment.

Exhibit 2 depicts the study process and various activities that will be accomplished over the next 20 months.

The initial Phase 1 study, completed in late 1998, focused solely on a possible bypass around Wickenburg. That study identified and evaluated 32 bypass corridors suggested by both ADOT and the public. Each suggestion was evaluated based on its social and environmental impacts as well as engineering feasibility.

Most suggested bypass locations were eliminated from further consideration because of impacts on private property, parks, the Hassayampa River, wildlife habitat, historic sites, or difficulties associated with very rugged terrain. Two corridors met the general selection criteria for the bypass – that is, they would improve traffic operation while avoiding serious social and environmental impacts.

Three public information meetings were held to discuss the progress and results of Phase 1.

The current, Phase 2 part of the study will determine which of the two general corridors around Wickenburg is more appropriate – a northeast or a southwest corridor. A recommendation on the most feasible bypass corridor will be made by late summer. Concurrently, the Study Team will investigate alternatives for widening US 93 between Wickenburg and the Santa Maria River.

In February, ADOT conducted a Partnering Workshop with representatives of various federal, state, and local agencies as well as local citizen organizations. The workshop resulted in two important achievements – reaching an agreement on the US 93 study process and forming a Steering Committee that will work with the ADOT Study Team.

The Steering Committee will serve as a sounding board for the Study Team throughout the study and will provide a conduit for information to and from the community. Committee members will act as representatives of the governmental agencies and citizen organizations that are interested in or could be affected by the US 93 realignment and reconstruction.

The primary purpose of the Steering Committee is to evaluate the progress of the study and exchange information between the public and the Study Team. Committee members can be contacted to offer input to the study.

Concurrent with the US 93 corridor study, the ADOT Study Team will be investigating the feasibility of constructing a near-term interim improvement project within Wickenburg to ease traffic congestion, improve safety and local air quality. We will be considering improvements to the existing US 60/US 93 route through town as well as a possible realignment/relocation of the route around the immediate downtown area. The results of our investigation will be completed this summer and presented at the next public information meeting.

Numerous issues and concerns were voiced by the public and agencies during the previous Phase 1 study. This valuable input was used in arriving at the two possible bypass corridors around Wickenburg.

We have now reached a point in the study where we must evaluate and decide which of the two alternative bypass corridors should be selected. In addition, we will begin evaluating alternatives for widening US 93 north of Wickenburg. Your input tonight will be used in conducting our evaluations and making recommendations.

Please complete the attached blue Comment Sheet and provide any additional comments that you may have. You may either hand the form to a Study Team representative tonight or mail it to Bert Bertleson, the Project Manager, no later than June 18, 1999. You may also e-mail him directly at bertleam@sverdrup.com.

Thank you for your participation.

Following tonight’s meeting, the Study Team will review the comments received and prepare a Scoping Report that summarizes the issues and concerns received from various agencies and the public. Later, a Draft Alternative Selection Report will be prepared outlining our recommendations on the bypass corridor selection as well as recommendations for improving US 93 north of Wickenburg. This information will be presented at a public meeting later this year before final recommendations are made. Please refer to Exhibit 2 for more information on the study process.

For additional information about the study please contact either:

Additional information will also be provided on our project web site. Please review the project progress at www.wickenburg.civilnet.sverdrup.com.