Dear Fellow Arizonans
(from Jennifer Toth, PE; Director of Multimodal Planning Division)
On behalf of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), I am pleased to present the recently adopted Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for Highways and Airports (see the Current Program below). Commonly known as ADOT's "Five-Year Program", the document expresses how ADOT intends to invest transportation dollars over the next five years and it is updated annually and approved by the State Transportation Board.
ADOT understands that transportation touches everyone's lives in a very personal way on a daily basis. In fact, people are spending a higher percentage of their incomes on transportation than ever before. At the same time, we face growing statewide transportation needs coupled with severely dwindling financial resources. By 2050, both population and employment in Arizona are projected to more than double, leading to increased demand for movement of people and goods, and unprecendented traffic congestion if major investments are not made.
In 2008 and 2009, ADOT worked with people and organizations throughout the state to develop the "Building a Quality Arizona" (bqAZ) Statewide Transportation Planning Framework, a shared vision for Arizona's transportation future (visit bqAZ for more information). Arizonans looked farther into the future than ever before - 40 years - to create the long-term vision. Since development of the vision was not fiscally constrained, it outlines our transportation needs for the next 40 years without regard to funding availability. Now, the dialogue shifts from vision and desires to priorities and funding.
Money spent on our state's transportation system affects each and every one of us directly, because if affects how people, goods, and services move about the state. Transportation is critical to our state's economic vitality and our citizens' quality of life, which is why ADOT encourages community and stateholder participation in its transportation investment decisions. There has never been a better time for ADOT to raise awareness of the planning and programming cycle and identify opportunities for Arizonans to have a voice in this process. Please visit What Moves You Arizona and sign up to be part of the dialogue.
Thank-you.
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