Interstate 11

[rickmastfan67]

~ PA: 78, 83, 84 all end at 81, and 79 ends at 90, so it's a question of how you look at 99. Double Breezewood = fail in my book. Once it's extended north to NY, I might reconsider letting the south end slide.

Since when does I-79 end @ I-90?  Hasn't in my lifetime.  It ends @ PA-5/290.

[kurumi]

I have relatives in the area who attended public hearings in Henderson. Mildly surprised to hear that I-11 might _not_ use the existing I-515/US 95 freeway through Las Vegas: http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/proposed-interstate-11-route-raises-concerns-henderson (includes map of eastern bypass I-11 might take)

[vdeane]

I think it's because Nevada is gung ho about the Canamex idea.  I wonder if they ended up in a situation like Indiana where they had to tie their interstate proposal into NAFTA to get it through congress.

[US 41]

Stupid convention anyway. There NEEDS to be an I-711. It's bad enough that we got doofed on I-420 and I-666.

And I-13 too. Nobody in Vegas wants that number anywhere near there. I totally agree on the I-711 thing as well.

At least we got I-69.

[swbrotha100]

Looking ahead, what should ADOT work on first when it comes to Interstate 11 (not including what's currently under construction on US 93)? Should it be an existing section of US 93? Should it be a bypass of the Kingman area or Wickenburg? What about the section that will bypass Phoenix?

[corco]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

[mapman1071]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

[Rover_0]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

I know it's not in current plans and slightly off-topic, but I can see the AZ-85 route becoming part of I-11 should ADOT want to cut costs. Am I right to think this?

[brad2971]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

I know it's not in current plans and slightly off-topic, but I can see the AZ-85 route becoming part of I-11 should ADOT want to cut costs. Am I right to think this?

Put it this way: That Hassayampa River routing is there to facilitate a potential development named Douglas Ranch. Supposedly 290000 people would live there over the next 50 years.

http://douglasranch.info/LandPlan.aspx

The developers of this insane plan have been trying to get AZ's Washington delegation to support both routing I-11 through there AND building it so that they can start the development. So far, both Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake (both R-AZ) have adamantly declined to do so, with Jeff Flake surviving an attempt to defeat him in the '12 election from that same development group. At some point, the developers of Douglas Ranch are going to come to the point that it is easier for EVERYONE to sell that land back to the NPS as part of the Sonoran Desert National Monument than to try to add extra lots to a Phoenix metro area that has a glut of them.

Which means you would be right to see a potential rerouting of I-11 down the N-S portion of Sun Valley Pkwy and SR-85 to I-8 as a solid bypass of metro Phoenix.

[swbrotha100]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

I know it's not in current plans and slightly off-topic, but I can see the AZ-85 route becoming part of I-11 should ADOT want to cut costs. Am I right to think this?

I think ADOT would want a freeway bypass of Phoenix, regardless of whether it's a single route (I-11) or a combination of routes (AZ 85 and I-8). AZ 85 will probably be a full freeway by the time any part of I-11 is started south of I-10 west of Phoenix.

[andy3175]

This article suggests a power line corridor may be constructed to follow Interstate 11 in Arizona:

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060000284

But BLM has considered nonfederal lands in other energy projects, most notably in Arizona with the Restoration Design Energy Project in which the agency designated 192,100 acres of renewable energy development areas on BLM land.

"That same type of analysis would be good on these transmission corridors," said Ian Dowdy, the Sonoran Institute's sun corridor program director in Phoenix.

The Sonoran Institute participates in a solar working group that includes electricity utilities in the state like Tucson Electric Power, solar energy developers such as First Solar Inc., and other conservation groups liked the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club.

"The West-wide Energy Corridor is one of the main topics on our agenda the last few years," Dowdy said. "We've come up with some really great solutions."

One would be to alter the route of the corridor in Arizona to follow the proposed Interstate 11 highway that's planned to connect Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The working group of Arizona officials has identified tens of thousands of acres in the Restoration Design Energy Project area that are within 20 miles of the proposed I-11, meaning solar development in these zones would be relatively near the transmission lines in the West-wide Energy Corridor, Dowdy said.

"People have not wanted to see power lines between cities on highways," he said. "But that's got to be one of the better ideas."

[Anthony_JK]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

According to the AZ 303 update study now ongoing by AZDOT, the interchange with US 60 will not be a stack, but a 3-level SPUI with the left-turn movements crossing at-grade due to the proximity of the BNSF railroad line that parallels US 60. Also, US 60 is scheduled to be upgraded only to an "enhanced arterial/limited expressway", not a full freeway. More than likely, I-11 will have to be constructed on new alignment to the west of AZ 303, with either a direct connection to an upgraded AZ 85 or a totally new alignment to the west. At least, that's my totally cracked impression.

[Brandon]

This article suggests a power line corridor may be constructed to follow Interstate 11 in Arizona:

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060000284

But BLM has considered nonfederal lands in other energy projects, most notably in Arizona with the Restoration Design Energy Project in which the agency designated 192,100 acres of renewable energy development areas on BLM land.

"That same type of analysis would be good on these transmission corridors," said Ian Dowdy, the Sonoran Institute's sun corridor program director in Phoenix.

The Sonoran Institute participates in a solar working group that includes electricity utilities in the state like Tucson Electric Power, solar energy developers such as First Solar Inc., and other conservation groups liked the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club.

"The West-wide Energy Corridor is one of the main topics on our agenda the last few years," Dowdy said. "We've come up with some really great solutions."

One would be to alter the route of the corridor in Arizona to follow the proposed Interstate 11 highway that's planned to connect Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The working group of Arizona officials has identified tens of thousands of acres in the Restoration Design Energy Project area that are within 20 miles of the proposed I-11, meaning solar development in these zones would be relatively near the transmission lines in the West-wide Energy Corridor, Dowdy said.

"People have not wanted to see power lines between cities on highways," he said. "But that's got to be one of the better ideas."

Why?  Highways are a great place for power lines.  Would they rather power lines go through residential subdivisions instead?

[frozen]

This article suggests a power line corridor may be constructed to follow Interstate 11 in Arizona:

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060000284

But BLM has considered nonfederal lands in other energy projects, most notably in Arizona with the Restoration Design Energy Project in which the agency designated 192,100 acres of renewable energy development areas on BLM land.

"That same type of analysis would be good on these transmission corridors," said Ian Dowdy, the Sonoran Institute's sun corridor program director in Phoenix.

The Sonoran Institute participates in a solar working group that includes electricity utilities in the state like Tucson Electric Power, solar energy developers such as First Solar Inc., and other conservation groups liked the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club.

"The West-wide Energy Corridor is one of the main topics on our agenda the last few years," Dowdy said. "We've come up with some really great solutions."

One would be to alter the route of the corridor in Arizona to follow the proposed Interstate 11 highway that's planned to connect Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The working group of Arizona officials has identified tens of thousands of acres in the Restoration Design Energy Project area that are within 20 miles of the proposed I-11, meaning solar development in these zones would be relatively near the transmission lines in the West-wide Energy Corridor, Dowdy said.

"People have not wanted to see power lines between cities on highways," he said. "But that's got to be one of the better ideas."

According to the AZ 303 update study now ongoing by AZDOT, the interchange with US 60 will not be a stack, but a 3-level SPUI with the left-turn movements crossing at-grade due to the proximity of the BNSF railroad line that parallels US 60. Also, US 60 is scheduled to be upgraded only to an "enhanced arterial/limited expressway", not a full freeway. More than likely, I-11 will have to be constructed on new alignment to the west of AZ 303, with either a direct connection to an upgraded AZ 85 or a totally new alignment to the west. At least, that's my totally cracked impression.

Take a look at the recent 303 Study covering the segment between US-60 to Happy Valley. They just switched the 60/303 interchange to a partial cloveleaf instead of the tri-level SPUI. I think they collapsed to the demands of the senior communities around that area. (Link to document: http://bit.ly/1iJ0Ok0)

[Anthony_JK]

Ahhhh, so they did. Probably makes a lot more sense, since they have no plans to upgrade US 60 beyond a "superstreet", and it relieves the BNSF of having to construct a "shoofly" detour. But, what does that do for the proposed I-11?? A new alignment further west which connects directly to AZ 85 at I-10??

[swbrotha100]

Ahhhh, so they did. Probably makes a lot more sense, since they have no plans to upgrade US 60 beyond a "superstreet", and it relieves the BNSF of having to construct a "shoofly" detour. But, what does that do for the proposed I-11?? A new alignment further west which connects directly to AZ 85 at I-10??

I-11 wasn't going to be in the area of the current Loop 303/US 60 interchange. From all the proposals I've seen, US 60 east (or southeast) of Wickenburg was pretty much going to remain the same.

In the event I-11 gets routed along current AZ 85, I think it's more likely I-10 and I-11 would share the same roadway from current AZ 85 to some point west of there than a new north-south alignment directly connecting to the current I-10/AZ 85 interchange.

[Henry]

I'd do it in the following order
1) Bypass Kingman (I hate that breezewood)
2) Improve Loop 303->Future I-11 connections on US 60
3) Improve two lane sections
4) Bypass Wickenburg (the current route is fairly new already, and does a pretty good job bypassing town)
distant
5) Build the section that bypasses Phoenix

1: ADOT is doing a study of placing a I-11/I-40 Trumpet interchange West of Beal Street/US93 North
2: There are plans for the interchange to be upgraded to a full or twisted stack at US60 - Grand Avenue /AZ Loop 303
3: Currently all 2 lane sections remaining of US 93 between I-40 and AZ89 are being twined with a bypass of Wikiup and replacement of the interchange with AZ71.
4: I-11 planned route is currently West of Vulture Mine Road curving to the West of Wickenburg Airport.
5. From US 60 I-11 is planned to Curve SE then South along the West bank of the Hassayampa River to I-10.

So basically we'd have another I-17? (which crosses I-10, then loops around before meeting it again)

[frozen]

Ahhhh, so they did. Probably makes a lot more sense, since they have no plans to upgrade US 60 beyond a "superstreet", and it relieves the BNSF of having to construct a "shoofly" detour. But, what does that do for the proposed I-11?? A new alignment further west which connects directly to AZ 85 at I-10??

Correct, though there's a planned "White Tanks Freeway" going from the I-11 corridor to 60/303 interchange. Not sure what the status of that freeway is-- is it still planned for the distant future, or written off?

[Henry]

Ahhhh, so they did. Probably makes a lot more sense, since they have no plans to upgrade US 60 beyond a "superstreet", and it relieves the BNSF of having to construct a "shoofly" detour. But, what does that do for the proposed I-11?? A new alignment further west which connects directly to AZ 85 at I-10??

Correct, though there's a planned "White Tanks Freeway" going from the I-11 corridor to 60/303 interchange. Not sure what the status of that freeway is-- is it still planned for the distant future, or written off?

I'm not that familiar with that project, so I can't tell for sure. But it would've been nice to upgrade US 60 all the way to I-17 to freeway, and we'll never know that now.

[Sonic99]

Ahhhh, so they did. Probably makes a lot more sense, since they have no plans to upgrade US 60 beyond a "superstreet", and it relieves the BNSF of having to construct a "shoofly" detour. But, what does that do for the proposed I-11?? A new alignment further west which connects directly to AZ 85 at I-10??

Correct, though there's a planned "White Tanks Freeway" going from the I-11 corridor to 60/303 interchange. Not sure what the status of that freeway is-- is it still planned for the distant future, or written off?

I'm not that familiar with that project, so I can't tell for sure. But it would've been nice to upgrade US 60 all the way to I-17 to freeway, and we'll never know that now.

I realize the reasons why it was cancelled, but that Paradise Parkway would have been a very nice thing to have in the Phoenix grid. Central Phoenix is desperately lacking in a good east-west high capacity road. The Northern Parkway out west is a great idea, wish it was possible to extend that further east into Phoenix proper.

[billtm]

Is it too late to merge I-19 into I-17 and then make the Phoenix to Vegas route I-19?

[US 41]

Is it too late to merge I-19 into I-17 and then make the Phoenix to Vegas route I-19?

The problem is that I-19 uses kilometers rather than miles and the local businesses don't want it changed.

[roadfro]

Is it too late to merge I-19 into I-17 and then make the Phoenix to Vegas route I-19?

The problem is that I-19 uses kilometers rather than miles and the local businesses don't want it changed.

I don't think the kilometer based reference points make a difference here.

Current I-19 is further east than current I-17. Putting I-19 along the Phoenix to Vegas route would intentionally introduce a more egregious numbering grid violation--it would be less problematic to give the Phoenix to Vegas route the I-17 number. However, if I-11 extends north from Las Vegas as the corridor studies are looking, then I-11 eventually makes more sense in the national grid than either 17 or 19.

[MikeSantNY78]

Is it too late to merge I-19 into I-17 and then make the Phoenix to Vegas route I-19?

I say (Provided of course that I-11 isn't already Shustered into existence) do the reverse: extend I-19 to include present I-17 (yes, that'd mean a big concurrency with I-10), and make this new I-11 a relocated I-17.  Fits the grid, and I-11 can be either Vegas-to-Reno, or re-designation of (at least the lower part of) CA 99 - admittedly a possible "Fictional Interstate" shift, but not impossible...

[roadfro]

Is it too late to merge I-19 into I-17 and then make the Phoenix to Vegas route I-19?

I say (Provided of course that I-11 isn't already Shustered into existence) do the reverse: extend I-19 to include present I-17 (yes, that'd mean a big concurrency with I-10), and make this new I-11 a relocated I-17.  Fits the grid, and I-11 can be either Vegas-to-Reno, or re-designation of (at least the lower part of) CA 99 - admittedly a possible "Fictional Interstate" shift, but not impossible...

The I-11 number is Congressionally designated.