3 alignments considered for North-South Corridor, all beginning in Apache Junction

By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

When the Arizona Department of Transportation this summer announces its preferred alignment for a North-South Corridor from Apache Junction to Interstate 10 near Eloy, Pinal County supervisors hope it starts at about Mountain View Road and then southwest to along the Central Arizona Project canal rather than at Ironwood Drive or closer to Gold Canyon.

“ADOT is about to come out with what they call a ROD — or a record of decision — for a tier 1 environmental impact statement, which will basically say this is their preferred corridor, and then they will go back out to the public and say, “What do you think, public?’” Public Works Director Andrew Smith told county supervisors at a meeting Feb. 4.

There is no funding yet to build the proposed corridor. A draft tier 1 environmental impact statement was completed and made available for public review and comment in late 2019. The study area is approximately 50 miles long between Apache Junction and Eloy and traverses central Pinal County, according to ADOT’s website.

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors in 2019 approved a resolution supporting a route detailed in a regional transportation plan and approved in November 2017 by county voters. Because three new supervisors were elected last year, a new resolution should be sent to ADOT, county officials said.

Discussion on alignments

ADOT will choose one of three possible alignments, shown in yellow, purple or highlighted in green on a map provided by Pinal County.

One alignment, marked in yellow, starts near Ironwood Drive and U.S. Highway 60, the Superstition Freeway, and heads south on the west side of the CAP canal until it heads southwest at Arizona Farms Road. From there it passes along the west side of Florence near Coolidge and eventually heads southwest again to be on the west of the Union Pacific Rail Road tracks.

The other two begin at U.S. 60 at Mountain View Road, with Pinal County’s preferred route highlighted in green on the map and heading southwest to west of the CAP canal, then southeast at about Arizona Farms Road in a loop that almost meets State Route 79 at the Gila River, passing through Florence and then south.

The highlighted green alignment on Pinal County’s map stops south of Kleck Road because Coolidge and Eloy have different ideas on how it should continue to I-10.

“We know the corridor is going to be likely built from north to south, so hopefully at some point Coolidge and Eloy can solve their indifference for segment 4,” Deputy County Manager Himanshu Patel told supervisors.

The other alignment beginning near Mountain View Road, shown in purple on the map, heads south on Arizona State Trust Land west of Gold Canyon then southeast at about Arizona Farms Road with the same loop that almost meets State Route 79 at the Gila River, passing through Florence and then south.

“That highlighted green is the corridor that all of the communities felt was the corridor they would prefer,” Mr. Smith told supervisors. “You look at the purple and that is for all intents we believe what ADOT will come forward with for its preferred corridor. And then the yellow was one that was brought back in at one point as an alternative,” he said.

“I believe ADOT was going to come out in July with this preferred corridor and start going out to the public,” Mr. Smith said of the alignment in purple.

Apache Junction would be best served with either route coming from Mountain View Road, said District 5 Supervisor Jeff Serdy.

“From the residents and government of Apache Junction, they can live with either one. The purple doesn’t hurt them; it actually would make their city grow faster and bigger. They’ll be pleased to get anything. The yellow one is definitely ‘no.’ So we definitely need to strike that,” Mr. Serdy said. “I see the advantages of the purple (route) is way more long-term; talking 20, 30 years from now, purple would be better. For what we get right now the green is definitely more helpful.”

District 2 Supervisor Mike Goodman said he also prefers the green alignment as it enters San Tan Valley.

“The immediate need — and has been for some time — has been that other alignment, the green alignment. The need’s there. We already have a lot of traffic issues and things of that nature that have been building up over years,” he said. “What we’re looking for is this board’s reaffirming that green alignment — the preferred alignment — to ADOT and to the state.”

The supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution supporting their preferred alignment and instructed the county manager to draft a letter to the appropriate authorities indicating the reaffirmation of the resolution approved in 2019. The new resolution was amended to state that the alignment continue south of East Houser Road on right-of-way acquired by the county.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.