The Arizona Department of Transportation is claiming that there has been no significant change to the timeline for the South Mountain Freeway project, which is still projected to open to traffic in 2020, contrary to several media reports.
The U.S. Department of Justice on October 20, submitted a request to U.S. District Court on behalf of the project sponsors, for a three-week extension to allow time to complete the administrative record as part of the legal action against the freeway project.
According to the ADOT press release “due to the “sheer volume of documents, which spans approximately 30 years, more time was needed to ensure the final record is accurately captured. On Oct. 23, the court granted a three-week extension to complete the administrative record on or before Nov. 16.”
ADOT does not expect the extension to interfere with the planned summer 2016 start of construction for this long-planned freeway. Meanwhile, pre-construction activities in the corridor continue. Completion of the South Mountain Freeway is still expected to be in early 2020.
Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio and Rep. Jill Norgaard responded to the media reports in question and issued a statment saying a delay in South Mountain Freeway construction shows that the project is “wrong for Pecos Road,” and a delay would be “great news for citizens fighting the freeway.” They say there are “many reasons this freeway should not be on Pecos Road.”
The two report that the defendants, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) admitted that they need more time to prepare for the serious challenge posed by Protecting Arizona’s Resources and Children (PARC) et al and the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). The two noted in their statement that “ADOT has even hired an out-of-state law firm to defend it – at taxpayer expense – because they know this project has serious deficiencies.”