State and federal transportation officials have formally selected a corridor in southern and central Arizona for construction of Interstate 11, a proposed new freeway that would stretch 280 miles linking the U.S.-Mexico border and Las Vegas.
The chosen 2,000-foot-wide corridor would stretch northward from the border to Wickenburg while skirting metro Phoenix’s west side. Depending on which of two alternatives is chosen, I-11 would track the existing Interstate 10 through Tucson or be routed across desert west of the city.
No funding has been designated for further design work or construction but the newly signed federal infrastructure bill may provide “an opportunity for our state to receive significant federal funding,” according to Scott Higginson, executive director of the Interstate 11 Coalition.
If planning and actual construction of proceeds, I-11 would be built along a 400-foot route within the corridor.
Portions of I-11 would use existing freeways, such as I-19 between Tucson and Nogales and a short portion of I-11 has been built near Las Vegas. As envisioned by planners and supporters, I-11 could eventually extend northward to Canada.