As Arizona approaches its statehood centennial, transportation planners are contending with some of the same basic issues as they were on Feb. 14th, 1912, when Arizona became the 48th state — what to build and develop, and where to do it.
The backdrop of making the decisions today, however, differs exponentially from the situation that Lamar Cobb faced on June 14th, 1914, when he submitted the first State Engineer’s report to the Arizona Legislature and Gov. George W.P. Hunt. Then, the state road system consisted of 251 miles. Just about every place needed connecting with someplace else.
Today, the state road system consists of 6,000 miles, but the planning continues, now assisted by the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Statewide Transportation Framework Planning Process.
The planning reaches to 2050, and every Arizona resident has an opportunity to express his or her opinion on the future of transportation in Arizona.
In seeking public opinion on its vision of “Building a Quality Arizona (bqAZ)”, ADOT duplicates one of Cobb’s tenets: “To aid me in discharging the duties of this office to the satisfaction of the public,” he wrote in his first report, “I invite [comment on] my work, as I do not know it all and would like to profit by the opinions of others … a public official serves himself best when he serves the public best.”
After conducting two series of public workshops around Arizona, ADOT is now looking for opinions via the “Building a Quality Arizona” Web site: bqaz.gov. The comment period lasts until March 10.
ADOT has also produced a short, informative video to encourage additional participation. It is also available at bqaz.gov.
ADOT developed the online workshops to provide an opportunity for individuals to weigh in on the study. The online site provides the same information that was presented at the community workshops held in November 2008.
ADOT began the Statewide Transportation Planning Study in early 2008 to focus on a long-range vision of transportation needs in Arizona. This study focuses on transportation needs through the year 2050. The study is composed of four Regional Framework Studies: Northern, Western, Central, and Eastern Arizona. Each Regional Framework Study looks at ways to plan for growth, understand community development and economic patterns, and be prepared for future transportation needs. All four Regional Framework Studies are available for online participation.