The United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration requires that each state adopt policies and procedures to be used in administering the FTA Sections 5310, 5311, 5316 and 5317 grant programs. This document describes the policies and procedures and is referred to as the "State Management Plan." It was adopted by the Arizona Department of Transportation Transit Programs and Grants for the FTA programs.

This Plan defines visionary, yet pragmatic, investment choices Arizona will make over the next 25 years to maintain and improve its multimodal transportation system. The Plan is not rigid or fixed. It is part of a continuous process of planning, implementation, operation, and preservation and will evolve over time to reflect and be responsive to future changes in needs, resources, and priorities. This Plan is strategic in nature, examining investment types for ADOT’s capital program; it does not examine nor recommend any specific projects.

The historical advantages of Grand Avenue and the railroad that led to the development of the West Valley cities have become a detriment to the further development or redevelopment in the past few decades. There is general agreement that significant improvements are needed for the Grand Avenue Corridor. Identified transportation funds provide an opportunity to develop a more modern transportation corridor along Grand Avenue. This study addresses these concerns by developing, evaluating, and recommending transportation investment options.

In the fall of 2007, Arizona’s Councils of Governments and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Transportation, launched a new phase in an ambitious, long-range statewide planning process known as Building a Quality Arizona or bqAZ. Working in collaboration with regional transportation planning entities, transit organizations, tribal governments, land management agencies, conservation groups, business and community leaders, and Governor Napolitano’s Growth Cabinet, ADOT and local/regional leaders embarked on development of a Statewide Transportation Planning Framework that formulated and evaluated multimodal transportation improvements. ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division and Communication and Community Partnerships Division jointly led the Statewide Framework planning process.

Located in northwest Arizona, the Hualapai Indian Reservation is comprised of five separate areas totaling more than 1 million acres and includes portions of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. The reservation has a tribal enrollment of approximately 2,269 persons, and nearly half of the enrolled members reside in Peach Springs. Located along Historic Route 66, Peach Springs is the capital of the Hualapai Nation and home to the Peach Springs School District, tourist facilities and numerous tribal government facilities. The Hualapai Indian Tribe maintains approximately 50 miles of paved roadways in various conditions and more than 600 miles of unpaved roadways. Major routes within the study area include State Route 66, Diamond Bar Road, Diamond Creek Road, Indian Route 18 and Buck and Doe Road.

Located along the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon and Historic Route 66, tourism is the leading economic generator for the Hualapai Indian Tribe. Opened in 2007, the Grand Canyon Skywalk received approximately 800,000 visitors last year and Hualapai tribal staff have estimated a 20 percent increase in tourists if roadway improvements are made to Diamond Bar Road. To encourage additional tourism and development, it is vital that the tribe's multimodal transportation infrastructure is capable of supporting new economic endeavors.

With the ultimate goal of enhancing safety, accessibility, mobility and economic growth, the primary purpose of this study will be to develop a multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) to serve as a guiding document for the tribe to implement transportation improvements. The study will identify current and future transportation deficiencies; provide transportation improvement recommendations over the next five-, 10- and 20-year horizon periods; identify potential funding sources; and provide the tribe with a phased transportation implementation plan.

The study will accomplish these goals:

    Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of major roadways within the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
    Evaluate vehicular traffic congestion and circulation issues.
    Identify pedestrian and bicycle needs.
    Develop roadway design standards.
    Identify methods to preserve existing transportation infrastructure.
    Identify specific improvement strategies to address the needs of the study area.
    Prepare a maintenance plan.
    Develop a three-phased Improvement Plan that promotes safety and mobility, supports economic development and improves community livability.

The city of Sierra Vista and the Arizona Department of Transportation are conducting the Sierra Vista Short-Range Transit Plan Study. This study will result in a new Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for the next five years of transit service for the city of Sierra Vista and Vista Transit, the cityís transit operator. This plan will address changes or improvements to transit service and operations, and strategies for sustainable funding for transit services. The federal funding program that supports Vista Transit operations will be changing in October 2014, and this study will evaluate changes that are needed to comply with the new program requirements and to best leverage federal funds for local transit services.