Gila site to host freeway meeting

Corinne Purtill
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 25, 2005 12:00 AM

In a switch from its usual meeting place, the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team will gather Thursday night at the Huhugam Heritage Center on the Gila River Reservation.

A tour of the heritage center, which showcases cultural artifacts unearthed on the reservation during previous public works projects, will be included in the meeting, said Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Burdick.

"A lot of people in Ahwatukee have a lot of interest in, but not a lot of knowledge about, their neighbors to the south," Burdick said. After the tour, "people might get a better feel for some of the concerns and some of the cultural history of the Gila River Indian Community."

The Maricopa Association of Governments will also be on hand to answer questions about its traffic projections for the Valley's freeway system.

At the advisory team meeting last month, ADOT presented attendees with a map showing projected traffic counts for the proposed alignments for the South Mountain Freeway and the no-build option in 2030. MAG officials did not attend the meeting because of a scheduling conflict.