Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)
Q. What is the goal of this project?
A. This project is an early step in the process of planning, designing, and building a proposed new roadway to meet current and future traffic demands and improve access to Loop 303 in north Peoria. The city of Peoria, in cooperation with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the Maricopa County Department of Transportation, and the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, is studying improvements to El Mirage Road between Loop 303 and Jomax Road. The proposed improvements include: The two-mile extension of El Mirage Road from Loop 303 and Jomax Road Constructing bridges over McMicken Wash and the Beardsley Canal, and The addition of signalized intersections at El Mirage and Happy Valley roads The project includes preparing a Design Concept Report (DCR) and an environmental study document known as an Environmental Assessment (EA) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Q. Where is the study area?
A. The study area is a half-mile wide, beginning at Loop 303 and extending north of Jomax Road, approximately one-third of a mile. Most of the land in the study area is in unincorporated Maricopa County except for the northernmost section, which is in the city of Peoria.
Q. What is the study timeline?
A. The study began in March 2024 and is anticipated to continue until late summer 2025. View the detailed study timeline.
Q. What is an Environmental Assessment or EA?
A. An EA is used to determine whether the environmental impacts of a project are significant and whether there will be a need for further analysis and documentation. An EA is a concise document that briefly provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) (40 CFR 1508.1(h)).
Q. What is a Design Concept Report or DCR?
A. A Design Concept Report (DCR) evaluates how to implement a proposed project. As the name suggests, it offers initial concepts for the project design based on the project’s size, location, nearby land uses, underground utilities, traffic volumes, types of roadway users, and many other factors. For this project, the DCR will include the first 15 percent of the proposed project design.
Q. What will happen when the study is complete?
A. If the EA results in a FONSI, the next steps would be final design and construction of the recommended improvements, pending the availability of funding.
Q. The project includes a signalized intersection at El Mirage and Happy Valley roads, but will there also be a traffic signal at Jomax Road?
The project team will evaluate a need for signals at this location during development of the DCR and EA.
Q. Has this proposed two-mile extension of El Mirage Road been studied before?
A.Yes. The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) completed the El Mirage Road: SR303L to Jomax Road Feasibility Study in June 2022. The study evaluated the area's current traffic conditions, projected traffic conditions in the future (2040), traffic safety conditions, and other key data, and developed three design concepts for an alignment of El Mirage Road that would connect Loop 303 and Jomax Road. Read the entire study here. The current study is building upon the MAG study.
Q. How can members of the public ask questions or provide their input about this study and the proposed improvements?
A. The public can provide comments and ask questions throughout the study period in any of these ways: Email: info@elmirageroadextension.com Phone: TBD Mail: Avenue Consultants/El Mirage Road; 5353 N. 16th Street, Suite 380, Phoenix, AZ 85015 Three formal opportunities for public involvement will be scheduled. They include: the scoping phase, anticipated in fall 2024, a meeting to review and comment on the roadway design options (known as “alternatives”) in early 2025, and a public hearing in spring 2025. Details about the scoping phase and the public meetings will be shared on the Public Meetings & Hearings page as they are confirmed.
Q. Does this study address traffic noise from the proposed new roadway?
A. The study team will complete a noise analysis as part of the DCR and EA development process to determine whether noise mitigation would be necessary if the new roadway is constructed.
Q. Would the roadway improvements accommodate cyclists and pedestrians in addition to vehicles?
A. Yes, improvements would accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, as well as vehicles.