FAQs

The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) establishes a vision for how the state's transportation system will develop over the next 25 years. The LRTP will be the principal guidance document for ADOT that links long-range visioning with prudent investment planning to provide an effective, well-maintained transportation network in Arizona.

The Long Range Transportation Plan is not project specific. It is a policy document that helps ADOT set overall priorities for the next 25 years based. If you have a project or corridor-specific comment, ADOT is currently seeking comments on its Five Year Transportation Facilities Program for projects in design and construction. To view and provide comments on the plan visit: azdot.gov/planning/transportation-programming/tentative-five-year-program

This meeting is about the Long Range Transportation Plan, which establishes the vision for how the state's transportation system will develop over the next 25 years. The plan is not project-specific, but sets overall funding priorities for ADOT in the future. To learn more about potential projects, please visit ADOT's project web page at azdot.gov/projects or email projects@azdot.gov.

With over 7,000 centerline miles of roadways and approximately 5,000 bridges on the existing state highway system, ensuring roads and bridges are maintained is a never-ending job. ADOT is also delivering highway widening, interchange and other needed improvement projects. ADOT works to minimize impacts to drivers for these projects to the extent possible.

ADOT uses a Planning to Programming (P2P) process to prioritize projects on the state highway system. Projects are prioritized for implementation in the ADOT Five Year Transportation Facilities Program based on specific performance criteria and ADOT's overall funding priorities established in the Long Range Transportation Plan. ADOT must identify, track, and report on these performance measures to the Federal Highway Administration.

ADOT's primary role is to plan, build and maintain the State Highway system. While ADOT does apply for certain federal discretionary grants for certain projects, it is not within ADOT's purview to seek new transportation funding methods; that is a policy decision by the Governor and legislature.

ADOT does not determine funding levels for public transit; ADOT essentially serves as a pass-through agency to distribute federal transit funding to Arizona transit providers. Funding is distributed throughout the state including rural public transit needs, elderly and persons with disabilities, small urban area needs and transit planning throughout the state. Funding from other sources - such as city and county transportation taxes - does not pass through ADOT and goes to transit agencies through a variety of other governing bodies.

The public comment period ends on March 31. Comments can be made through our online comment form at adot2050plan.com, as well as by email at lrtp@azdot.gov, mail or phone. There will be two additional opportunities to comment on the draft and final plan in a few months.

ADOT is actively seeking the public's input to develop the Long Range Transportation Plan, and the public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft and final plan. The study team will need to consider the priorities of the public while also ensuring the plan covers minimum system needs and reflects anticipated funding sources.

As part of the public engagement approach for the LRTP we wanted to ensure that Arizonans throughout the state would have the ability to provide input. Our strategy included an online survey, as well as in-person public meetings in northern, central and southern Arizona and a telephone town hall for those without reliable internet service. We established a goal of receiving a statistically valid survey sample of at least 7,000 survey responses representative of communities throughout the state - exceeding the responses received on the previous LRTP - and we achieved that goal. The team conducted outreach to ensure that response rates were generally representative of the population in Arizona counties.

In addition to our current comment period, there will be opportunities for the public to provide input on the draft and final plan.

ADOT is providing a number of methods for all Arizonans - regardless of where they live or their ability to access the Internet - to learn about and provide input on the Long Range Transportation Plan. We are holding three in-person public meetings to reach communities throughout Arizona, holding a virtual public meeting and have a virtual public meeting room on the website for those who can't attend in person. We are also utilizing a telephone town hall later this month targeting rural Arizona to reach those without internet connections and limited access. The study team used the federal Justice40 tool to identify disadvantaged communities and also Census data to determine language translation needs.

ADOT has provided an opportunity for each of the 22 tribes in Arizona to have a tribe-specific consultation session with the project team to discuss each tribe's transportation vision, goals, and needs. We are working with tribal contacts to promote public engagement opportunities throughout the state and provide materials to each tribal community to publicize LRTP events via their communication channels.