VOICE

STEVE BERMAN, BOYD DUNN, KENO HAWKER COMMENTARY
East Valley Tribune
4-20-06

Steve Berman is mayor of Gilbert. Boyd Dunn is mayor of Chandler. Keno Hawker is mayor of Mesa.

   With new Pecos Road homeowners angry and construction costs rising, the South Mountain Freeway has become a case study in what happens when right-of-way is not protected.
   By 1985, the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council had identified a Pecos Road alignment for this important regional free way connecting Interstate 10 with Loop 202. By 1988, the Arizona Department of Transportation had completed its Environmental Assessment and Design Concept Report, which clearly identified the Pecos Road alignment and determined that no structures were located in the path of the future freeway .
   ADOT began to purchase right-of-way at that time but, due to funding shortfalls, the project was delayed and additional right-of-way purchases were put on hold. Despite the delay, the South Mountain Freeway remained an integral part of the longrange plan for the Regional Freeway System approved by voters in 1985 and again in 2004.
   Now, because 217 homes have been constructed in the path of the free way since the alignment was studied, approved and publicized 23 years ago, nearby residents are trying to persuade the Gila River Indian Community to allow the South Mountain Freeway to be constructed on tribal land. Should the community decide it is open to placing the South Moun tain Freeway on the reservation, this viable alternative should be explored. However, if the Gila River community isn’t interested, we need to accept this answer and move forward with the project.
   Although the developers were exercising their property rights and could not be prohibited from building homes in the freeway alignment, the right-of-way should still be acquired and construction should move forward on the Pecos Road alignment. With more than 6 million area residents projected by the year 2030, the South Mountain leg is a critical part of our regional freeway system.
   MAG estimates show the new free way will cut travel times, including shaving more than 50 minutes off a rush-hour round-trip commute from the Williams Gateway Regional Job Center to Goodyear Airport. But Ahwatukee residents are likely to benefit most from the freeway , through shorter commute times and increased property values as the subdivision is freed from its stigma as “the world’s largest cul-de-sac.” Once the South Mountain Freeway is built, the Ahwatukee resident who works at Metrocenter will not only get home 25 minutes faster, but so will his neighbors, as the South Mountain Freeway will alleviate traffic on arterial streets in Chandler, Tempe and Phoenix.
   In the years to come, the success of our region will depend upon our ability to continue to efficiently move people and goods through the Valley. High-quality employers cannot afford to have their employees or products perpetually stranded in traffic. Moreover, the passage of Proposition 400 in 2004 sent a clear message that residents throughout the Valley are eager to build the infrastructure necessary to maintain their quality of life.
   The South Mountain Freeway should be built as planned and right-of-way for future regional freeway projects should be secured now.