State and federal highway planners are launching a three-year environmental study for the Interstate 11 corridor that would link Las Vegas to Tucson and the southern border at Nogales. 

The next phase of defining an I-11 corridor through Arizona will give the public a chance to offer input on a route intended to enhance trade and boost Arizona’s economy.

The recommended I-11 corridor would likely follow U.S. 93 from the Hoover Dam bypass bridge south to Wickenburg. The 280-mile corridor study area for the current environmental study begins in Wickenburg and runs west of the Phoenix metropolitan area and then south to Tucson and Nogales.

“The Arizona Department of Transportation and our partner agencies and stakeholders have long recognized the importance of the Interstate 11 corridor and the benefits that it will bring to our state through trade, commerce, job growth and economic vitality,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.

The first step for the environmental study is developing what alternative routes to consider within the proposed corridor. Planners  will evaluate in detail each route alternative, including a no-build option.

In November 2014, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation completed a 2-year feasibility study as the first step in the I-11 process. ADOT focused on and supported a route through Arizona connecting Nogales and the Hoover Dam bypass bridge near Las Vegas.

In December 2015, Congress approved the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, a 5-year plan to improve the nation’s highways and bridges. The legislation does not include funding but it does make the corridor eligible for future federal funding.

I-11 could eventually extend north to Canada.

During the next three years, the public, communities and other stakeholders will have opportunities to comment through regular meetings, community events and other forums.