Officials approve corridor in southern, central Arizona for part of proposed new I-11

Corridor in southern, central Arizona approved for proposed I-11

Officials have selected a portion of southern and central Arizona for construction of Interstate 11, which would link the Arizona-Mexico border and Las Vegas.

PHOENIX (AP) - 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 link the U.S.-Mexico border and Las Vegas.

The chosen 2,000-foot (610-meter)-wide meter) corridor stretches 280 miles (451 kilometers) northward from the U.S. Mexico 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.

If planning and actual construction proceeds, I-11 would be built along a 400-foot (122-meter) route within the corridor.

Portions of the route would use existing freeways, such as I-19 between Tucson and Nogales. 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.

No funding has been designated for further design work or construction, but supporters are eying the newly signed federal infrastructure bill, the Casa Grande Dispatch reported.

That legislation "provides an opportunity for our state to receive significant federal funding, previously unavailable, to support the next stage in the development of Interstate 11," Scott Higginson, executive director of the Interstate 11 Coalition, said in a statement.