Project Abstract

The goal of the SR 179 project was to plan, design and build improvements that could achieve a consensus in the community while providing enhanced safety and more reliable travel times for everyone.

-- Excerpt from SR 179, Village of Oak Creek to Sedona Submission Form (473KB PDF) --

Overview

SR 179 is located approximately 100 miles north of Phoenix and connects the Village of Oak Creek to the city of Sedona in the world-famous Red Rock country, which draws millions of visitors from throughout the world. The greater Sedona area is Arizona’s second leading tourist attraction (after the Grand Canyon) and was rated in May 2003 as "the most beautiful place in America" by USA Weekend. Widely recognized as one of the most scenic drives in the Southwest, SR 179 follows a meandering corridor rich with natural beauty, especially the spectacular Red Rocks. Although only nine miles long, the corridor traverses diverse environments, ranging from urban commercial at the north and south ends to developing suburban and forested back country in the middle. The previously existing roadway was predominantly two lanes, undivided, with little or no shoulder, significant horizontal and vertical curvature, few passing opportunities, and limited sight distance at many locations.

ADOT used an innovative approach called a needs-based implementation plan (NBIP) to plan improvements to SR 179. ADOT continuously solicited input from the community through advisory panels, focus groups, workshops, charrettes and other techniques. The NBIP took a CSS approach by balancing safety and mobility with scenic, aesthetic, historic, environmental and other community values. The NBIP was structured around charrettes open to all: first, a planning charrette, in which residents stated their core values and vision for the corridor; second, a gaming workshop giving residents an opportunity to build their role using a tool kit of design elements. At two screening workshops and a third charrette, the community screened twelve planning concepts to produce a single preferred plan for a greatly improved two-lane road designed for maximum context-sensitivity through Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek and the highly sensitive Coconino National Forest.

CSS Qualities: Process

• Early definition by the community (in the first charrette) of its twelve core values, including character, context sensitivity, environmental preservation, multimodality, multiple purposes, roadway footprint, scenic beauty and walkability.
  
• Use of interdisciplinary teams from the outset of the project, without a dominant role assigned to any one discipline, to encourage a holistic approach.
  
• Inclusion of local residents on each consultant team.
  
• Emphasis on SR 179 as a corridor for moving people (e.g., on foot, bicycles or transit vehicles) rather than just vehicles
  
• Four expert panels early in the project to educate the public on topics such roadway planning and design principles, multimodal considerations, and CSS.
  
• Thirty-one community interviews and focus groups at the outset of the project.
  
• Numerous newsletters, e-newsletters, and speakers' bureau presentations; two postcard surveys.
  
• Using community values and goals as the foundation for developing planning and engineering concepts.
  
• Willingness to consider and adopt innovations; e.g., replacement of traffic signals with modern roundabouts.
  
• Design Advisory Panels from the community assisting with segment concept design, the last phase of the NBIP.
  
• Use of a single team to plan, design and oversee construction of the project.
  
• Formulation of detailed improvement concepts by community members at a gaming workshop open to all.
  
• Multi-tiered screening from more than 80 planning concepts to twelve and eventually one, with the community involved at each step.
  
• Preparation of a detailed Access Management Plan and a Corridor Management Plan to help preserve the corridor's unique attributes.
  
• A trade-off analysis of alternative designs for medians, pathways and alignment types (e.g., bifurcated versus two-way roadway).
  
• Identification of locations for retaining walls, scenic pullouts and transit stops.
  
• Artists' renderings and simulations to show impacts of alternatives on the local context.
  
• Illustrative urban design studies at critical locations.
  
• Use of existing elements where appropriate; e.g., trails in the Coconino National Forest.
  
• One-on-one meetings with more than 100 property owners.
  
• Extensive use of maps and aerial photography in community activities.

CSS Qualities: Outcomes

The major benefit is a reconstructed road that is much safer, offers more reliable travel times between I-17 and Sedona, and is less likely to be shut down by crashes and other incidents. It enhances the visual and scenic quality of the driving experience and offers pullouts for scenic viewing. It is now safer and much easier to use for cyclists and pedestrians. The project has brought together agencies and stakeholders who are more likely to collaborate in the future. The All-American Road status that was obtained through this effort enhances the reputation of the community, provides an incentive for preservation, and may bring opportunities for additional federal funding. The new roadway provides safe access for transit users and improved access to nearby trails. It is a tremendous source of pride for the entire community and a boon to tourism, which is the mainstay of the Sedona area's economy.

   State Road 408 Widening Submission Form