Improving Connectivity for an Iconic Arizona Highway
We are advising the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) on improving Interstate 17, a key commerce corridor that sees more than one million travelers every year.
On October 28, 2021, ADOT reached commercial close on I-17, Anthem Way to Jct. SR 69 (Cordes Junction) project. ADOT and the selected best value proposer Kiewit-Fann Joint Venture, a joint venture formed between Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. and Fann Contracting Inc., signed the Design-Build-Operate-Maintain Agreement to widen and improve Interstate 17 under Arizona’s public-private partnership procurement statute.
The project will improve 23 miles of I-17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point, and includes 15 miles of roadway widening, two bridge replacements, one bridge deck replacement, 10 bridge widenings and the installation of a new, eight-mile flex lane system. The flex lanes, between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point, will operate as a separate two-lane facility to carry one direction of traffic at any one time depending on need, with movable gates at both ends to control access. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022.
The I-17 provides a critical connection between the greater Metropolitan Phoenix region and communities in northern Arizona from I-10 to I-40, two of the nation’s principal east-west interstate highways. “I-17 is a critical link to northern Arizona communities and a vital economic corridor,” said Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. “Expanding this section of I-17 will reduce congestion, improve traffic flow and strengthen public safety. Millions of Arizonans will benefit from I-17’s improved connectivity and reliability when this project is completed.”
The project received funding from Arizona’s state revenue and federal COVID-relief funds; previously appropriated state highway funds; Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant; the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG); and federal aid with matching state highway funds. The total project cost is $446 million inclusive of ADOT’s allocated internal costs. The contract price for design and construction is $362 million.
We assisted ADOT throughout the entire procurement process, including advising on relevant commercial and legal issues, contract drafting, evaluations, and negotiations.