The Office of Highway Safety produces the annual Highway Safety Plan to serve as the implementation guide for highway safety projects throughout Arizona. The Plan also is an application for funding through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Project selection is data driven and utilizes state and national traffic safety data (e.g., crashes, fatalities, injuries, citations, etc.). Knowledge of the Arizona political, economic, and demographic environments, as well as highway safety expertise on the part of staff and other partners also are taken into account where appropriate.

Bellemont is a rural, unincorporated community with a population of approximately 1,000 residents in Coconino County that has become a suburb of Flagstaff, where residents commute to work. Three roads ó Interstate 40 (I-40), Brannigan Park Road and Shadow Mountain Drive ó are used to access virtually all the private land north of I-40 at Bellemont. Frequent congestion from heavy truck volumes and subdivision traffic causes traffic delays and creates concern for safety and timely emergency response. The 2008 closure of the ADOT Parks Rest Area on I-40, just west of Bellemont, has also increased vehicular traffic accessing the truck stop and restaurants. Future build-out of the subdivision and potential commercial/industrial uses in the area are expected to continue to negatively affect the Brannigan Park Road and Shadow Mountain Drive intersection and the I-40 traffic interchange. ADOT recently prepared the I-40 Bellemont to Winona Initial Design Concept Report, which recommended long-term improvements for the intersection and traffic interchange.

Ultimately, this access management and multimodal transportation study will provide a comprehensive review of the Bellemont area transportation system and provide guidance for determining priority needs for future improvements north of I-40, including alleviating congestion and improving/managing access, and improving and evaluating multimodal access to businesses from residential areas.

This study examines the feasibility of Turner Parkway and establishes guidance for the preservation of right-of-way to assure the functional integrity of the transportation framework. The Turner Parkway corridor is located 13 miles west of Loop 303 in northwestern Maricopa County. When completed, this parkway will be the first major, high-capacity, north-south facility west of White Tank Mountains.

One in a series of long-range transportation planning studies being conducted by the Maricopa County Department of Transportation to assess the ultimate corridor footprint requirements to enable consistent implementation across multiple jurisdictions. The study area for this project includes Peoria Avenue from the future Jackrabbit Trail Parkway alignment to Dysart Road (Peoria Avenue Corridor). The study area generally encompasses a two-mile wide corridor centered on the existing Peoria Avenue.

Project Summary

Passing and climbing lanes provide additional lanes for vehicles to safely pass other vehicles while maintaining speeds. Implementing passing and climbing lane projects provides traffic operational and safety benefits at a cost that is far less than fully widening a highway. In an effort to enhance safety and mobility on Arizona's roadways, the Arizona Department of Transportation is currently updating the 2003 Passing and Climbing Lanes Prioritization Study. This update intends to further refine the identification and prioritization methodology previously utilized and to develop a prioritized list of candidate locations that would provide the most benefit to the traveling public.
Study Objectives

    Review previous studies and research current best practices.
    Analyze the safety and performance benefits of passing/climbing lanes constructed since the previous study.
    Develop a revised methodology and ranking criteria.
    Obtain feedback from ADOT District Engineers and other stakeholders, such as rural COGs and MPOs.
    Develop a new prioritized list of candidate passing/climbing lane projects.