Interstate 11

[US 41]

If I-11 was to run to Nogales would AZDOT convert the metric signs into standard (American) signs?

[roadfro]

If I-11 was to run to Nogales would AZDOT convert the metric signs into standard (American) signs?

I thought ADOT was already planning to convert the I-19 signs back to American units...

[kkt]

Given that the whole point of taking it to a border is so that freight trucks don't need to do complicated things like "turn onto I-11 from I-19", they probably want to match up with the MX 15D corridor.

I thought the whole point was having an interstate bypass of Phoenix, to relieve I-10.

[jwolfer]

Why not i-7?

To keep it all 9s

[vdeane]

If I-11 was to run to Nogales would AZDOT convert the metric signs into standard (American) signs?

I thought ADOT was already planning to convert the I-19 signs back to American units...

It's pretty much in limbo right now due to local opposition.

Given that the whole point of taking it to a border is so that freight trucks don't need to do complicated things like "turn onto I-11 from I-19", they probably want to match up with the MX 15D corridor.

I thought the whole point was having an interstate bypass of Phoenix, to relieve I-10.

I-11 has been hyped on by the Canamex crowd for a long time now.  Though why would a bypass of Phoenix need to go all the way to Tucson?  Traffic counts wouldn't seem to demand it.

[hm insulators]

Phoenix and Tucson are going to keep growing rapidly.

[kkt]

Phoenix and Tucson are going to keep growing rapidly.

Right up until they stop allowing new water service connections.

[andy3175]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2015/12/05/highway-bill-gives-millions-more-arizona-paves-way-interstate-11/76796138/

Arizona will receive an additional $380 million in federal highway and transit funds over the next five years under legislation passed by Congress on Thursday.

The funding is considered vital in providing state and local officials in Arizona the certainty to plan and execute large transportation projects. Besides the increased money, the legislation includes language by Sen. John McCain and Rep. Martha McSally that would pave the way for establishing the Sonoran Corridor. And it includes language Rep. Paul Gosar introduced as a separate bill in the House regarding the future Interstate 11.

McCain, who co-sponsored a Senate bill including the I-11 language, said the two provisions would help Arizona become a "key part of an international trade route that reaches all the way to the southern border."  ...

The Sonoran Corridor would create an alternative route to allow hundreds of thousands of freight vehicles traveling through the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales to avoid having to pass through Tucson traffic to reach the major trade routes using I-10. The future I-11 would extend from Arizona's southern border through Phoenix to Las Vegas and north through Nevada.

http://www.yourwestvalley.com/nation_world/article_690c7cac-9adf-11e5-b5d8-a7c091752953.html

The designation of two high priority Arizona transportation corridors in the five-year transportation bill approved by Congress represents a step forward for the planned Interstate 11 and the Sonoran Corridor in Tucson and the promise of both to boost Arizona's economy, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, formally designates Interstate 11 throughout Arizona. It states that the I-11 corridor will generally follow Interstate 19 from Nogales to Tucson, Interstate 10 from Tucson to Phoenix, and US 93 from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line.

From there, the Interstate 11 corridor extends north through Nevada, and is designated as an interstate highway north of Las Vegas, through Reno, connecting to Interstate 80.

"Interstate 11 is part of Arizona's Key Commerce Corridors plan that connects our state to regional and international markets while opening up new opportunities for mobility, job growth and economic competitiveness,"  ADOT Director John Halikowski said. "In addition to the formal designation of I-11 and the Sonoran Corridor, having a five-year plan offers the long-term predictability we have been fighting for and helps ADOT better plan, build and sustain a transportation system that improves the quality of life in our growing state."  ...

Interstate 11 received a congressional designation from Phoenix to Las Vegas in 2012 under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. The FAST Act designation of Interstate 11, along with the Sonoran Corridor in southern Arizona, does not include funding, but makes the corridors eligible to be funded, along with other high-priority corridors throughout the nation. ...

ADOT is beginning work on a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement covering the area between Nogales and Wickenburg. At the end of this three-year study, a preferred corridor alignment will be chosen, along with a preferred mode of transportation for accommodating future traffic needs from Nogales to Wickenburg.

The Sonoran Corridor will run along the planned State Route 410 in Pima County, connecting I-19 and I-10 by passing south of Tucson International Airport.

At 16 miles, the Sonoran Corridor is expected to shorten the average truck driving time by 20 minutes for shipments moving between Mexico and points to the east and provide an estimated $30,000 in total truck cost savings per day. It will enhance connections with other major interstate highways along with established routes and ports of entry to Mexico, Arizona's major partner for trade and commerce. These daily time savings add up to tremendous overall savings along these major trade corridors. The Sonoran Corridor will be located within a planned aerospace, defense and technology business and research park.

[Henry]

So we're closer to getting I-11 between Phoenix and Las Vegas being fully built out...eventually. North of Vegas is another story, but it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

[NE2]

it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

It doesn't need to be an Interstate to be able to do this.

[kkt]

it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

It doesn't need to be an Interstate to be able to do this.

And being an interstate doesn't magically make this happen, either.  Try driving I-5 through Seattle without stopping sometime when it's not 3-6 AM.

[jakeroot]

it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

It doesn't need to be an Interstate to be able to do this.

And being an interstate doesn't magically make this happen, either.  Try driving I-5 through Seattle without stopping sometime when it's not 3-6 AM.

I have never driven straight into downtown Seattle without traffic.

[pumpkineater2]

it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

It doesn't need to be an Interstate to be able to do this.

And being an interstate doesn't magically make this happen, either.  Try driving I-5 through Seattle without stopping sometime when it's not 3-6 AM.

I have never driven straight into downtown Seattle without traffic.

I'm pretty sure that by nonstop he meant not having to stop at any lights or worry about surface street traffic in the three major towns along the route.
I know I would be annoyed by having to slow down in each town I come to when the rest of the route permits me to cruise at high speeds.

[jakeroot]

it would be nice to drive to Phoenix nonstop one day. Hopefully I can do it at least once in my lifetime!

It doesn't need to be an Interstate to be able to do this.

And being an interstate doesn't magically make this happen, either.  Try driving I-5 through Seattle without stopping sometime when it's not 3-6 AM.

I have never driven straight into downtown Seattle without traffic.

I'm pretty sure that by nonstop he meant not having to stop at any lights or worry about surface street traffic in the three major towns along the route.
I know I would be annoyed by having to slow down in each town I come to when the rest of the route permits me to cruise at high speeds.

Even so, our point is that sometimes, traffic is so bad that it makes no difference whether or not you have access to a freeway (or, in this case, an interstate).

Typical drive time from Tacoma to Seattle is 90 minutes during rush hour. That's about 22 miles an hour (33.8 miles over 90 minutes).

[pumpkineater2]

Even so, our point is that sometimes, traffic is so bad that it makes no difference whether or not you have access to a freeway (or, in this case, an interstate).

Typical drive time from Tacoma to Seattle is 90 minutes during rush hour. That's about 22 miles an hour (33.8 miles over 90 minutes).

I know. Remember though that the majority of I-11 will not be an urban freeway, and it will pass through rural areas where the likelihood of regular traffic jams caused by pure volume is not very high. 
Now, it's a different story with the part of I-11 that will go into Las Vegas.

[kkt]

I know. Remember though that the majority of I-11 will not be an urban freeway, and it will pass through rural areas where the likelihood of regular traffic jams caused by pure volume is not very high. 
Now, it's a different story with the part of I-11 that will go into Las Vegas.

Fine, so why don't they spend their money improving the bottlenecks in Las Vegas and Reno where there are substantial delays, instead of eliminating every ranch road where you can cruise at high speed already?  Or bypassing a couple of towns that probably don't add 15 minutes to the 6 1/2-hour trip between all three of them?

And if they succeed in getting federal funding, it's not just their money, it's mine too.

[US 41]

I-11 is totally unnecessary. A 4 lane highway with at grades makes a lot more sense then an interstate. US 93 isn't even that heavily traveled anyways. I also think some of you fail to realize that most of MX 15 is a 4 lane highway with at grades until you get to the split in Sinaloa (between 15 libre and 15 cuota). Why can't a section of CANAMEX be a plain ol' 4 lane highway in the US? Canada and Mexico both do it.

There are only 3 major north-south highways in Mexico (15, 45, and 85) and we have interstate connections to all those routes. Is there something I'm missing here?

[vdeane]

If I'm reading things right, I-11 is planned to end at MX 15D rather than just shy of downtown Nogales like I-19 does.  That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).  Don't get why it needs to be I-11 rather than a re-routed I-19 though.

[NE2]

That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).

Tijuana is freeway to freeway.

[US 41]

If I'm reading things right, I-11 is planned to end at MX 15D rather than just shy of downtown Nogales like I-19 does.  That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).  Don't get why it needs to be I-11 rather than a re-routed I-19 though.

Here is what MX 15 just south of the 15D/15 split in Nogales looks like on GSV. https://www.google.com/maps/@31.2209366,-110.9722848,3a,66.8y,213.2h,87.56t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sz3RtUTgWeUwjKnsKO3J88w!2e0

In short Mexico 15 is definitely not a freeway south of Nogales. It is a 4 lane highway with at grades. The toll road they built on the west side of Nogales was meant to be a bypass around the downtown Nogales POE.

[vdeane]

That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).

Tijuana is freeway to freeway.

Debatable.  The road connecting it to MX 1D has a bunch of driveways and RIROs and looks more like a city street with a median slapped in the middle.  Street view hasn't been updated in a while, but it looks like the El Chaparral border crossing empties into a city street and not the short freeway looking thing than San Ysidro did.  Also, it doesn't look like one can get to the crossing US-bound without making a left turn, and Mexico-bound involves a couple of VERY sharp turns, and I'm not sure how one could make an interstate-standard connection to El Chaparral.

Granted, my standards are high enough that I-5/BC 95, I-87/A-15, I-91/A-55, and I-95/NB 95 don't count either on the Canadian border.

[NE2]

That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).

Tijuana is freeway to freeway.

Debatable.  The road connecting it to MX 1D has a bunch of driveways and RIROs and looks more like a city street with a median slapped in the middle.

1D isn't the only freeway on the Tijuana side...Via Rapida is an 8.5-mile freeway straddling Rio Tijuana.

[kkt]

That would create the first true freeway-freeway connection between the US and Mexico that is open to cars (I-69W is trucks only, I believe, and the rest are breezewoods at best).

Tijuana is freeway to freeway.

Debatable.  The road connecting it to MX 1D has a bunch of driveways and RIROs and looks more like a city street with a median slapped in the middle.  Street view hasn't been updated in a while, but it looks like the El Chaparral border crossing empties into a city street and not the short freeway looking thing than San Ysidro did.  Also, it doesn't look like one can get to the crossing US-bound without making a left turn, and Mexico-bound involves a couple of VERY sharp turns, and I'm not sure how one could make an interstate-standard connection to El Chaparral.

Granted, my standards are high enough that I-5/BC 95, I-87/A-15, I-91/A-55, and I-95/NB 95 don't count either on the Canadian border.

Not sure why I-5/BC 99 wouldn't count.  The duty-free shop on the BC side?

[NE2]

Granted, my standards are high enough that I-5/BC 95, I-87/A-15, I-91/A-55, and I-95/NB 95 don't count either on the Canadian border.

Not sure why I-5/BC 99 wouldn't count.  The duty-free shop on the BC side?

The Beach Road intersection ("exit 1") just north of the shop.

[kkt]

Granted, my standards are high enough that I-5/BC 95, I-87/A-15, I-91/A-55, and I-95/NB 95 don't count either on the Canadian border.

Not sure why I-5/BC 99 wouldn't count.  The duty-free shop on the BC side?

The Beach Road intersection ("exit 1") just north of the shop.

I guess.  Southbound it's usually backed up way past there, so traffic is at a crawl anyway.  And northbound traffic couldn't accelerate to freeway speeds again that quickly after stopping.  But, yes, it's technically an at-grade crossing.