Officials and leaders in Arizona and the Sun Corridor megaregion received a wake-up call on infrastructure at a Beyond Traffic forum,
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said Thursday in posting on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website.
The risks of not adopting Beyond Traffic, a report reviewing transportation infrastructure challenges during the next 30 years, would be harmful to the region.
“I encourage everyone to read the Beyond Traffic framework that looks ahead to 2045 and outlines the infrastructure challenges that the Southwest and other megaregions are facing,” Stanton said. “There’s no sugarcoating this; it’s sobering. For Arizonans who share my vision for an innovation-based, globally competitive export economy for our region, this was a wake-up call.”
Interrupting the area’s commerce due to major highway infrastructure failures drastically impacts communities and economies, Stanton said. This past summer, I-10 was reduced by one lane after a flash flood demolished a bridge in the California desert. The repercussions of this infrastructure failure will only be magnified in the future if the infrastructure problems are not addressed today. The framework in Beyond Traffic estimates that 65 percent of U.S. roads are in poor condition and 25 percent of U.S. bridges are also in poor condition.
Leaders in the community are encouraged by the positive response to Beyond Traffic.
“That said, I am immensely proud of how Phoenix has led and responded to our growth challenges,” Stanton said. “With the passage of Proposition 104 in August – an extension and expansion of our transportation sales tax – our city made an investment in itself. Our comprehensive long-range plan will triple the size of our light rail system, expand bus service, repair roads and build bike lanes to help meet our growing transportation needs over the next 35 years.”
