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The I-11 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) from Nogales to Wickenburg was completed in November 2021. The Tier 1 study established a 2,000-foot wide Selected Corridor Alternative. Here is a link to the I-11 Tier 1 Interactive EIS for more detailed information.
There is no funding to build I-11 in Arizona at this time. The only funding currently available is for a Tier 2 environmental and engineering study from Buckeye to Wickenburg. This Tier 2 study would establish a proposed 400-foot wide alignment, or route. No other segments in Arizona have been identified for a Tier 2 study.
In southern Arizona, the Selected Corridor Alternative in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement’s Record of Decision carried forward two options that will be considered equally if a Tier 2 study is programmed - one to the west and the other to the east. The map showing the two corridor options in Pima County can be found here. The east option utilizes existing Interstates 10 and 19. All Tier 2 studies would involve completing detailed environmental, public, agency, Tribal and engineering studies prior to any decisions being made. There is no Tier 2 study that is programmed or funded for southern Arizona at this time.
The Record of Decision and Final Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation was published on Nov. 16, 2021 and can be found on the Documents page. This decision document identifies the Selected Corridor Alternative, which is a Build Alternative.
The Selected Corridor Alternative is the same as the Preferred Corridor Alternative outlined in the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement published on July 16, 2021. The Selected Corridor Alternative is a 2,000-foot-wide starting point within which the proposed I-11 facility could be built.
Interactive Map – Zoom in on a satellite view of the Selected Alternative.
Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement and Preliminary Section 4(f) EvaluationThe Interstate 11 Final Tier 1 EIS and Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation (Final Tier 1 EIS document) was completed and made available for a public 30-day review July 16 through August 16, 2021. As a final document, the Final Tier 1 EIS will be available for review indefinitely and is not anticipated to change.
In addition to the PDF version of the Final Tier 1 EIS document, an interactive Final Tier 1 EIS is also available and can be accessed by visiting the following website: https://ee.alytics.com/I11Arizona-Tier1EIS/
Throughout the more than five-year environmental study process for the proposed I-11 facility from Nogales to Wickenburg, study team members from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have listened to and heard the public during formal comment periods, public meetings and public hearings that were held throughout the 280-mile study corridor. All comments during this Tier 1 study have been documented as part of the study record.
Pursuant to NEPA, a formal public comment period was part of the I-11 Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which was published on April 5, 2019. This process included six public hearings throughout the 280-mile study corridor and a 90-day public comment period. Extensive public comment submissions during this period resulted in revisions to the corridor, which are reflected in the Final Tier 1 EIS that was published on July 16, 2021. All public comments and questions received during the Draft Tier 1 EIS comment period were addressed in the Final Tier 1 EIS and can be viewed in Appendix H5.
It is important to note that the I-11 Final Tier 1 EIS, as a planning-level decision document, focuses only on potential corridor locations for the 280 miles from Nogales to Wickenburg. For I-11 to advance as a construction project, several additional steps would be required. These steps would include NEPA approval, identifying funding, and conducting specific project-level Tier 2 NEPA studies of priority corridor segments. Based on need and purpose, these segments will focus on smaller and shorter sections of I-11 and not the entire corridor. At this time, no funding has been identified to plan, design or construct any part of I-11, including any Tier 2 analysis. If funding becomes available for a Tier 2 study, that process also would include an extensive public comment period in accordance with NEPA. As such, opportunities for additional public involvement would be provided.
In December 2015, the U.S. Congress approved the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which is legislation to improve the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure during a five-year period. The FAST Act formally designated I-11 as a proposed transportation route in Arizona. It stated that the I-11 corridor will generally follow State Route 189 and Interstate 19 from Nogales to Tucson, Interstate 10 from Tucson to Phoenix, and US 93 from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line.
The designation doesn’t include funding but identifies I-11 as a high-priority corridor eligible for federal funding. ADOT continues to work with its federal, state and local partners to identify funding for I-11, which, if constructed, is expected to include a combination of new and existing roadways.
Tier 1 EIS Environmental Review ProcessADOT completed the first step in a tiered environmental study to identify a potential corridor for I-11 between Nogales and Wickenburg. The Tier 1 EIS environmental review process considered both Build Corridor Alternatives and the No Build (do nothing) Alternative.
For more information on the environmental review process, visit the Environmental Process page.
Tier 1 EISThe Tier 1 EIS, required by the National Environmental Policy Act, was completed in 2021. The Federal Highway Administration issued a Record of Decision that presented a Selected Corridor Alternative. Tier 2 environmental studies will be required to determine the alignment (the specific route) and design details, such as the width of the median, frontage roads, traffic interchange locations, and other roadway features.
ADOT is completing a series of projects to widen and improve the 200-mile stretch of US 93 from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line to improve traffic flow, support the movement of freight and enhance safety through this heavily traveled area. The section of US 93 from I-40 in Kingman to the Nevada state line has already been upgraded to a four lane divided highway. Further information on ADOT’s US 93 corridor projects for the section between Wickenburg and Kingman can be found here: https://azdot.gov/projects/northwest-district-projects/us-93-corridor-projects.
The current ADOT-led Tier 1 EIS builds upon the prior I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study (IWCS) completed in 2014, which was a multimodal planning effort that involved ADOT, the Nevada Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Maricopa Association of Governments, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and other key stakeholders.
Upon completion of the IWCS, FHWA and ADOT continued to advance the Tier 1 EIS Study in Arizona for the approximate 280-mile section between Nogales and Wickenburg, as shown on the corridor study area map. The FAST Act formally designates I-11 throughout Arizona, reinforcing ADOT's overall concept for the I-11 Corridor that emerged from the prior IWCS.
For additional information on the IWCS, please visit i11study.com/WC-Study.