The purpose of this feasibility study is to identify the optimum corridor alignment for the proposed McDowell Parkway based on the indirect left-turn intersection design outlined in the Design Guideline Recommendations for the Arizona Parkway (August 2008). All alternatives developed will include the Arizona Parkway typical section within a 200-foot-right-of-way corridor.

This study is one in a series of long-range transportation planning studies being conducted by the Maricopa County Department of Transportation to evaluate future parkways identified in the recently completed Maricopa Association of Governments framework studies. The project study area includes the planned Northern Parkway, an east-west corridor centered on the Northern Avenue section line, from the planned Tonopah Parkway (411th Avenue alignment) to the planned Turner Parkway (267th Avenue alignment). The Northern Parkway corridor within the project study area is approximately 18 miles long and two miles wide. This section of Northern Parkway is referred to as the Northern Parkway Hassayampa section to distinguish it from other planned Northern Parkway sections east of the White Tank Mountains.

The project study area also includes the planned Tonopah Parkway, a north-south corridor centered on the 411th Avenue section line, from Interstate 10 (I-10) to the planned Northern Parkway. The Tonopah Parkway corridor within the project study area is approximately 3.75 miles long and two miles wide.

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.

The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-modal transportation plan that outlines the region’s transportation priority projects and provides a plan for ultimate implementation. The transportation study was focused around identifying regional mobility needs that can accommodate the anticipated future population and employment growth. This transportation study is a joint effort of Navajo County, the City of Holbrook, the City of Winslow and the Arizona Department of Transportation to develop multi-modal transportation recommendations for the study area, Heber-Overgaard, Holbrook and Winslow over a 20-year planning horizon.

The proposed Meridian Road Corridor Study is needed to support the continuing development and growth, occurring and anticipated, in the East Mesa, West Apache Junction, and within Pinal County. The purpose of the Meridian Road Corridor Study is to document conditions along the existing roadway and to develop alternatives that will increase the safety and future level of service of Meridian Road. This study will also establish a roadway footprint and develop the ultimate right‐of‐way requirement for the corridor. Finally, the study will be utilized as a guide for local agencies and future development along the corridor. The study area for the Meridian Road Corridor Study is approximately 13 miles in length.

The Sahuarita/El Toro Corridor Study is a joint effort by the Town of Sahuarita and the Arizona Department of Transportation. The purpose of the study is to assess the feasibility of a transportation corridor that will provide adequate capacity for the potential future growth of the Town of Sahuarita and surrounding areas as well as increase local and regional connectivity in Pima County. The study is being funded by Federal Highway Administration’s State Planning and Research Program and administered through ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division. In the completed Town of Sahuarita Transportation Study, it was recommended that El Toro Rd be constructed as a six-lane parkway to alleviate the severely congested principal thoroughfares due to the future growth identified in that study.