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.

Following the completion of the 2005 report, an Act was passed that contained a number of important new and continued funding sources for safety related projects, programs, and initiatives. This required every state to develop a Strategic Highway Safety Plan. This 2007 report represents Phase 1, Development Plan and is a comprehensive, collaborative, high level, statewide safety strategy that will guide Arizona's safety change initiative. The Arizona Department of Transportation was assigned the role of project manager for this SHSP phase by the Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Council.

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.

This paper complements a detailed assessment of job quality, based on analysis of industrial and occupational mix, recently completed by the Seidman Institute’s Center for Business Research. The overall conclusions in this report are consistent with those of the more extensive CBR research. Arizona’s economy grows very rapidly, but per person or per worker measures of wages, compensation, incomes, and gross state product are below the national average. No evidence exists that the situation is improving appreciably (or deteriorating). Indeed, the state appears to be creating income, wealth and quality jobs at rates that are similar to those displayed by other states. Arizona is a job-generating marvel and is among the nation’s leaders in aggregate growth. If the state is successful at improving the quality of its labor force and creating higher-quality jobs, its per worker and per person comparisons will improve.

Regional economic theory states that a local economy is driven by economic activities that import money into the region (county or state in this report) through the sales of goods and services to customers who do not live in the region. Such export activities differ from population-driven activities, which sell to and support the local population. “Export” in this usage is not limited to goods and services sold to customers from other countries, but includes all sales made to customers outside the local region — at the state level, in other states, and at the county level, in other counties within the state. An export activity sometimes is referred to as a “basic” activity — the terms are synonymous.

This study focuses in the area surrounding the municipalities of: Town of Pima, City of Thatcher and City of Safford. The junction of the two major state routes, US 191 and US 70 is located in the heart of these communities and serves as major arterials for local travelers. Parsons Brinckerhoff has been commissioned by ADOT to perform this preliminary assessment for the development of an alternate route through the Thatcher/Safford/Pima area.