By Howard Fischer | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Arizona lawmaker Rep. Matt Gress proposes segmenting Interstate 11 construction
- Gress aims to expedite studies halted due to environmental concerns litigation
- Opponents argue the project promotes urban sprawl and harms the Sonoran desert
A Phoenix Republican lawmaker is trying to jump start the construction of a controversial stretch of the proposed Interstate 11.
The proposal by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, would direct the Arizona Department of Transportation to ask the Federal Highway Administration to consider a stretch between Casa Grande and Wickenburg for separate approval from the main project. That, Gress claims, would expedite the necessary studies that have been halted over litigation over whether state and federal highway officials ignored environmental concerns when they mapped out a route for the segment between Casa Grande and Nogales.
But Gress is running into opposition from those who question both his tactics and the need for a new interstate highway.
“This is a very expensive proposition,” said Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe.
The current estimated price tag for building the proposed stretch of road from Nogales to Wickenburg runs anywhere between $3.1 billion and $7.3 billion.
