Businessmen and developers in Pinal County on the southeast fringe of the Phoenix metro area have put in more than $100k to fund feasibility studies on a 35km (22 mile) tollroad. Known as the North-South Corridor the pike would run from the US60 expressway at Apache Junction south through a developing area to State Route 287 in the Coolidge/Florence area.

County officials at a recent board meeting commended the business group for sponsoring the work on toll feasibility - which is an extension of work done with government funds.

Kimley-Horne did a Pinal County Corridors Definition Study for Arizona DOT in 2005. That concluded based on projections of population growth from 200k to about a million people in 2030 needing a 2x3 lane expressway. Upgrades to US60 and an east-west Williams Gateway to Loop 202 are other expressways planned, plus a huge amount of surface arterial.

Rough stab suggests toll revenues of $48m/yr

A financial feasibility analysis completed in January this year by Cambridge Systematics suggested the north-south corridor was the most suited to toll financing since relatively little traffic would be diverted by tolls to free alternatives.

The project was costed at $916m tentatively based on six diamond interchanges and one system IC. Based on a stab at retention rates the modeled traffic was found to generate $48m annual toll revenue in 2030, based on 20c/mile for cars 40c/mile (12c/km and 24c/km).

More feasibiity results expected by late summer

Jordan Rose a real estate attorney at the Rose Law Group in Scottsdale organized the developer funding of further studies. She says they expect to have a preliminary feasibility study of toll financing of the project in four or five months time. They are hoping this will allow the expressway into the area to be built ahead of traffic rather than after congestion has developed.

"We want to know whether tolls would make it feasible to get it built with private financing. This is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. If the main highway can be privately financed then scarce government funds can be concentrated on other needs," she says. "Or it may be that tolls will provide part of the funding needed. We are looking forward to finding out what the experts say. It is a nationally recognized firm, so we think it will have credibility."

In the ADOT studies Cambridge Systematics worked off these projections:

Pinal County 2005 2030

- population 252k 1,089k

- employment 49k 300k

Extension to I-10 at Eloy not warranted

Kimley-Horne and CS showed that an expressway extending all the way south to meet I-10 at Eloy isn't warranted for 2030 so for now it will stop at State Route 287 in Florence/Cooldige. If it were extended to I-10 it would provide another truck route from the east into the Phoenix metro area (pop 3.25m in 2000, 2.24m in 1990).

The studies also scotched plans for a major east-west expressway through the middle of the county, saying traffic won't warrant more than a surface arterial over most of its distance.

SEMANTICS: In Arizona they follow California practice in describing an expressway as a 'freeway.' Some engineers and planners outside the west also use this unfortunate term.

We follow common practice in the east, the south and the mid-west in avoiding the term freeway in favor of expressway.

An expressway is the highest form of road with full access control and grade separation of cross streets, and may be tolled or untolled. Freeway is a confusing term for a particular roadway design because the 'free' suggests a lack of tolls.

TOLLROADSnews 2007-03-08