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Next November voters will get their say in the next 20 years of transportation in Pinal County.
A 20-year plan to develop a countywide transportation system consisting a new and improved roads and transit systems throughout Pinal County is currently being drafted, with an eye on bringing it – along with a request to fund the requested projects – before voters next November.
The developmental effort was launched last August when the Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted to create the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority (PRTA) as a special public improvements and taxing subdivision of the state of Arizona under state statute 48-5302. The statute applies only to Arizona counties with fewer than 400,000 residents, of which Pinal County qualifies.
Overseeing PRTA will be one representative each from each municipality within the county, the county, and Central Arizona Governments (CAG), one of six regional districts in Arizona formed to support a number of planning activities, while complying with federal planning requirements. Each will have one vote when determining which projects go forward and in which order.
Andy Smith, CAG transportation planning manager, is overseeing PRTA.
To develop a balanced regional transportation plan, PRTA with the Pinal Board of Supervisors contracted with Dibble Engineering for transportation consulting services. The purpose of the plan will be to boost economic activity within the county by making it easier and quicker to get around. Both the needs of business and citizens will be taken into consideration, Smith said.
High on the planning list are roads bisecting the county that will function as a North-South Corridor (determining the route of the proposed I-11) and an East-West Corridor, the latter providing faster travel between Kearny and Maricopa. Other road projects will likely benefit Southern Pinal County, Hidden Valley, as well making major improvements to regionally significant roads.
The plan also could include transit systems, including buses and light rail, to areas where no public transportation currently exists. Park-and-ride lots would funnel customers into light rail systems.
At present there are only three bus services in Pinal County: Cotton Express in Coolidge, CART (Central Arizona Regional Transportation) connecting Florence with Casa Grande through Coolidge, and COMET (City of Maricopa Express Transit). These services operate primarily in morning and late afternoon rush hours.
But how much extra bus service the county needs is not known. A bus service linking San Tan Valley and Queen Creek with Gateway Mesa Airport folded years ago for lack of riders.
Two of three light rail lines proposed by the Arizona Department of Transportation would benefit Pinal County with the Phoenix-Tucson route going through Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Florence; and the Phoenix-Globe line skirting the county’s northern towns.
Once a balanced fiscally-sound 20-year transportation plan is developed, it will be presented to voters in November 2016, Smith said. Details of the plan will be released well before the voting date, Smith said.
To fund the 20 years of projects, voters will be asked to approve a 0.5% hike in the county excise tax. That would be in addition to the existing 0.5% excise tax county residents already pay to fund county road maintenance projects. The current 0.5% excise tax raises about $16 million annually.
PRTA was created to fill the gap left by a steady decline in recent years of federal transportation project funding. Currently the county only receives about $500,000 in federal transportation revenues.
Smith has already appeared before city and town council meetings throughout Pinal County to build support for the transportation project.
The need for the program to be balanced and provide improvements for all corners of the county was driven home when in November a Casa Grande councilman said he wouldn’t be inclined to support a North-South Corridor highway if it ran through San Tan Valley, Coolidge and Eloy but missed Casa Grande. That would take business and economic development away from his town.
James J. Hodl is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, Hodl began his career as a reporter with the Palatine (IL) Herald and the Morton Grove (IL) Review before becoming editor of the trade publication Appliance Service News. In recent years, Hodl has had articles published in Consumers Digest, Good Housekeeping, Home Remodeling, Kitchens & Baths and Salute; and has contributed to trade publications serving the home furnishings, restaurant and casino markets. A native of Chicago, Hodl relocated to San Tan Valley in 2013.
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