Arizona State and Local Government Documents Collection

This research study addresses the collection, preparation, and use of traffic data required for pavement design by the Arizona Department of Transportation, focusing on data required as inputs for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials "Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide" design procedures. ADOT’s current traffic data collection and preparation processes are not adequate to meet the needs of the MEPDG procedure, and improvements are needed. These improvements include enhanced volume, classification, and weight data collection for vehicles, processing data and performing quality assurance checks, and the preparation/analysis of the data for use in the MEPDG. Use of the MEPDG in Arizona will require (1) an annual flow of updated key traffic data and (2) the ability to collect on-site (MEPDG Level 1) data in a timely manner for key projects.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, in coordination with Apache County District II and the Fort Defiance Chapter of the Navajo Nation, analyzed the traffic circulation conditions of Navajo Routes 7, 12, 54, 110, and 112 within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area which is designated as a major growth area on the Navajo Nation. The study was funded by the Federal Highway Administration’s State Planning and Research Program and administered through ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division's Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) program. The study was initiated to develop a planning strategy to improve the mobility and safety within the Fort Defiance Industrial Area.

The San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation is home to approximately 2,000 people. Numerous others come to the District to visit the San Xavier del Bac Mission Church. The San Xavier District Pedestrian Access and Safety Study is being prepared to improve the walking and bicycling environment on the San Xavier District for Community members and visitors alike. The study is being funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation Multimodal Planning Division’s Planning Assistance for Rural Areas program.

The Ganado-Burnside Area is a rural community located on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. Ganado was formally established in 1901 as the location for a Presbyterian Church Mission, a school and hospital. Later the community served as a center to distribute various types of Bureau of Indian Affairs services. Today, the community area serves as a major center for housing, education, health and government operations. Also in the Burnside area, the Ganado School District recently established a new high school and sports venue to accommodate track and field, baseball, and basketball activities.

There are four main roadway corridors that intersect the study area: State Route 264, US Route 191, Navajo Route 27 and Navajo Route 15. There are also county gravel roads and private and community dirt roads that intersect SR 264, the main traffic corridor. Within these routes there is substantial multimodal activity generated from the area schools, medical facilities, transit operations, government entities, utility providers and social programs. The principal focus of this study project is to address the most critical transportation planning needs identified by the Ganado Chapter and Apache County. This will include, but is not limited to, a comprehensive needs analysis of multimodal movements and traffic circulation as well as safety issues for the project area corridors. The major product of the study will be a final report, which contains a Plan for Improvements. Taking into consideration received public input, the Plan will span over five-, 10- and 20-year periods, incorporating both roadways and the multimodal needs of the area.

The Ganado-Burnside Area Traffic Circulation Study will also be conducted according to a cooperative planning process that involves stakeholders that include public agency staff, elected tribal officials and tribal community members. Throughout the study, information will be presented to and solicited from stakeholders through individual interviews and to the general public through public meetings and other means of communication.

Through surveys and interviews, this publication reveals that parents – regardless of income, education levels and ethnic background – basically want the same things from their child care providers: a safe, nurturing learning environment. The study also reveals that many parents face challenges in finding information about child care options in their communities, care that meets all of their expectations, and resources to pay for early learning programs.

For kids 5 and younger in early learning programs, success is largely determined by the knowledge and skills of their teachers, and by the quality of the interactions with those educators. This publication describes how Arizona continues to struggle in educational attainment, wages and retention of its early learning workforce. It also offers recommendations for parents, providers, policymakers and other stakeholders on how we can all better support those responsible for helping infants, toddlers and preschoolers get ready for school and set for life!