State Route 85

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State Route 85 - Access Management

Business 08 Access Management Study

	Project Overview The Arizona Department of Transportation is undertaking an Access Management Study to assess existing and future access points on State Route 85 (SR 85) and on State Business 08 (B-8). The limits of the study extend from Interstate 8 to SR 85 on B-8 and from B-8 to Interstate 10 on SR 85.

	The goal of any access management program is to successfully balance the roadway operational needs with the requirements associated with developing land adjacent to the corridor. This study will focus on developing strategies that can be implemented with the current construction of the four lane highway while preserving the ability for adjacent developments to operate successfully in the future. The final study products will include a plan to implement access control strategies during the interim widening of the highway to allow for the safe and efficient movement of traffic on the corridor. The study will also include strategies for the conversion of this highway into a fully access controlled facility with grade separated interchanges including the identification of future interchange locations and the transportation right of way that will be required for the construction of these interchanges.	Select map for larger view.

	The SR 85 Access Management Plan will provide a framework to establish continued coordination and shared responsibility between the state, regional and local agencies for the future planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance on SR 85 including the establishment of joint public-private funding policies for future improvements. It is envisioned that each of the stakeholder agencies will reach consensus on the recommendations of the Access Management Plan and will formally adopt the completed plan.

	What is Access Management Access Management is defined as a process which provides access to land development while preserving the flow of traffic on the adjacent roadway system in terms of safety, capacity and speed.

	What are the Benefits of Access Management

		Improve roadway Safety
		Preserve roadway capacity
		Support land development
		Prolong roadway life
		Maintain roadway travel speed
		Reduce Travel delay
		Reduce fuel consumption

	Access Design Issues
	Access should be provided based on functional design principles. Functional design recognizes that there is a hierarchy of movement involved in the completion of a vehicle trip. Functional design further recognizes that establishing the hierarchy of roadways increases traffic safety and preserves the public investment in roadways and the private investment in abutting property.

		How Can We Manage Access?

		Medians	Allows for separation of traffic and provides shelter for vehicles making left-turns from or to a street.

		Auxiliary Lanes	Left-turn and right-turn deceleration lanes separates turning vehicles from the through traffic stream.Acceleration lanes minimize speed differentials between through vehicles and entering vehicles.

		Driveway Location and Design	Affects the ability of a driver to safely and easily enter and exit a site. Reasonable spacing between driveways is important to the safety and capacity of the roadway.

		Corner Clearance	The distance from an intersection to the nearest access connection. Preserves traffic operations at intersections.

		Frontage Roads	Provides local access from a secondary road and eliminates the conflicts between high-speed traffic and traffic entering and exiting to the highway.

	Access Management Study: Final Executive Summary

	Background
	SR 85 and B-8 form a corridor that provides a major north-south connection between Interstate 10 (I-10) west of the metropolitan area of Phoenix and Interstate 8 (I-8). The project limits of this access management study stretches approximately 36 miles and includes the entire length of SR 85 from Gila Bend to I-10 and a portion of B-8 that connects SR 85 with I-8 on the east side of the Town of Gila Bend. The route traverses through lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), trust lands that are administered by the Arizona State Land Department, Arizona Game and Fish land (Robbins Butte State Wildlife Area), Maricopa County (Buckeye Hills Regional Park), Arizona Department of Administration (Lewis Correctional Facility) and private lands.

	SR 85 is the official truck by-pass route around metropolitan Phoenix and has also been designated as the official CANAMEX corridor as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In addition to the importance of this route to the trucking industry, this corridor also provides access from the western portion of metropolitan Phoenix to the cities of Yuma and San Diego.

	In 2002 ADOT completed a Design Concept Report (DCR) study to upgrade SR 85 from a two-lane undivided highway to a four-lane full access controlled divided highway at a cost of $253,310,000. During the past 5 years, the number of fatal accidents associated with passing maneuvers has significantly increased. This increase in accidents has resulted in ADOT expediting the conversion of this highway from a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway. Due to significant funding challenges of obtaining timely funding to construct the ultimate access controlled facility, an implementation plan was developed that would achieve the goal of providing a four-lane divided highway in the interim while still supporting the long range transportation goals of the recommended ultimate access controlled facility.

	The purpose of this access management study is to provide ADOT, Maricopa County, the Town of Gila Bend and the Town of Buckeye with a cost-effective plan to manage access on this route and provide guidance for future development adjacent to this corridor during the transitional stage of converting this roadway to the ultimate fully access controlled facility.

	Corridor Description
	The SR 85 study corridor is a one mile strip centered on the existing roadway that extends from I-8 to I-10 (milepost 120.3 to 154.4) and includes B-8 from I-8 to SR 85 (I-8 exit #115 milepost 117.7 to milepost 120.3). Within the study limits, ADOT is currently designing and constructing numerous projects that will result in the entire SR 85 corridor being a four-lane divided highway. The section of B-8 that is within the study limits is currently a two-lane principal arterial roadway through the urbanized area of Gila Bend. ADOT is currently preparing a Design Concept Report (DCR) for a fully access controlled facility that will connect SR 85 with Business 08. Until this study is completed, there are no plans to improve Business 08 within the study limits.

	With the exception of the urbanized area of Gila Bend and the Lewis Prison / Southwest Regional Juvenile Correctional Facilities, there is currently little development along the corridor. However with the tremendous increase in development in recent years within the Town of Buckeye coupled with enhanced development opportunities associated with converting this highway to a divided four-lane highway, it is expected that this corridor could experience added developments in the next number of years.

	Purpose of Access Management
	The purpose of access management is to preserve the capacity of public highways, maintain safety on these highways, and maintain access to private land in a manner that serves the public interest. Access is managed through the regulation of vehicular access to public roadways from adjoining property—and through legal, administrative and technical strategies available to political jurisdictions under their police powers in order to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of their residents.

	Need for Access Management
	The projected year 2030 ADT volumes on SR 85 range from approximately 27,530 vpd south of the Buckeye Hills Recreational area to 82,180 vpd near I-10. Business 08 projections for the same forecast year is 26,320vpd. While widening this facility to a four lane divided highway will aid in handling the expected increase in volume additional measures regarding access will also be necessary. Given the heavy volumes of high-speed through traffic on this highway and its importance as part of the CANAMEX corridor, a strong need exists to establish access control. Otherwise, the combination of slow turning vehicles with high-speed through traffic will create an increasingly unsafe and inefficient operating environment.

	The goal of an interim access management program for the State Route 85 (SR 85) and State Business 08 study corridor is to successfully balance the roadway operational and safety issues while supporting development during the interim operational period along this corridor. This program must also be consistent with the planned ultimate fully access controlled grade separated facility. The benefits of developing an at-grade access management plan are the preservation of roadway capacity, safety and service. With an adopted access management plan in place, zoning and permitting agencies have a plan that will provide guidance in permitting access to the highway regardless of ultimate roadway build-out conditions. Proposed developments can be required to provide internal/parallel circulation, driveway/access point design, or the dedication of right-of-way/access control that conforms to the plan.

	Interim Access Management Plan
	The ultimate vision for the SR 85 corridor is to have a fully accessed controlled facility designed to interstate standards with grade separated interchanges providing access to and from the highway. However due to funding limitations, an implementation plan was developed to construct a divided highway with limited access and at-grade intersections which could over time transition to the ultimate access controlled facility. Therefore an interim access management plan was developed for implementation with the interim construction projects. This interim access management plan was developed to be compatible with the ultimate access controlled facility even if the transition to the ultimate facility occurred over many years.

	The following policies are recommended for the SR 85 Interim Access Management Plan:


		Between MP 123 and the Gila River, direct access to SR 85 is limited to the recommended access locations.

		Between Gila River and I-10, existing access locations to SR 85 will be converted to a right-in / right-out configuration. Change in land use along this corridor will require new driveways to adhere to ADOT driveway design and spacing requirements.

		Along Business 08 and SR 85 between MP 120 and MP 123 existing access will be preserved. New developments along this corridor will be subject to specified driveway design and spacing requirements.

		Each at-grade full directional access location on SR 85 between MP 123 and I-10 will include a separated median design with dedicated turn lanes.

		Access control along the corridor will be acquired by ADOT as part of the right-of-way acquisition necessary for the construction of the divided SR 85.

		Frontage roads or alternative access ways will be included as part of the SR 85 widening projects as necessary to provide access to SR 85 at recommended access locations.

		During the right-of-way acquisition necessary for the SR 85 widening, access control should be acquired a minimum of 600 feet along the cross roads to ensure that future frontage road/cross road intersections will be located a minimum of 600 feet outside of the future interchange ramp intersections.

		The site development approval process for new developments will be used to encourage the construction of a parallel arterial roadway system to access SR 85 at the recommended intersection locations.

		The use of private funding to construct ultimate interchanges at recommended access location will be encouraged.

Many of the recommended access locations for the SR 85 corridor were identified during the development of the DCR for this corridor. Additional access locations were also identified as part of this study that allowed for the consolidation of several existing direct access locations to a single location. Table E-1 summarizes the recommended full access locations on SR 85 between MP 123 and I-10.

Table E-1
SR 85 Recommended Full Access Locations

Milepost	Description	Recommendation
MP 123	Watermelon Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 128	BLM Access	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 133.9	Woods Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 136	Local Access	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 138.3	Lewis Prison Interchange	Existing Interchange
MP 140.9	Riggs Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 144	Buckeye Hills Recreation Access	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 147	Robbins Butte Wildlife Area Access	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 149.3	Hazen Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 150.5	MC 85	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 151*	Baseline Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 152	Southern Avenue	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 153	Broadway Road	At Grade Intersection / Future Interchange Location
MP 154**	Lower Buckeye Road	At Grade Intersection*

* Lower Buckeye Road may be realigned to mid mile crossing with no SR 85 access
**Baseline Road will only access SR 85 frontage roads when mainline is constructed

North of the Gila River, the initial SR 85 widening project will be limited the construction of the ultimate southbound frontage road and the conversion of the existing two-way SR 85 roadway to the ultimate northbound frontage road. This will require that the existing driveways that currently access SR 85 be converted to right-in/right-out access configurations. While the presence of frontage roads typically supports direct access, it is recommended that as the land in this area develops prior to the construction of the ultimate mainline, multiple access points to a single parcel should be discouraged in an effort to minimize the number of access points to SR 85 since these roadways will be subject to high speed and increasing traffic volumes.

As ADOT is developing a direct access controlled connection from SR 85 to I-8, it is not likely that these two roadways will ever become fully access controlled. However, until this connection is constructed traffic volumes will continue to increase and managing access along these two sections of roadway will become important. Table E-2 shows the recommended full access locations within Gila Bend.

Table E-2
Recommended Full Access Locations Business 08 and SR 85 MP 120 to MP 123

Milepost	Description	Recommendation
SR 85
MP 120.68	Maricopa Road	At Grade Intersection
MP 121.68	Gila Bend Airport Access	At Grade Intersection
Business 08
MP 120.9	Existing cross-over location	At Grade Intersection
MP 121.3	Main Street	At Grade Intersection
MP 122.0	Old 84	At Grade Intersection

To preserve the high speed, high capacity characteristics of the corridor, signalization of the intersections in the interim condition will not be considered between SR 85 MP 123 and the Gila River. North of the Gila River it is envisioned that interim SR 85 will operate at lower speeds and traffic signals could be installed at the future interchange locations if volumes warrant.

With the exception of the recommended intersection at MP 123, all of the recommended intersections on SR 85 will be constructed with the SR 85 widening projects. To aide in the conversion from the interim condition to the ultimate grade separated interchange, a flared intersection design will be used at each of the intersections for each of the intersections located between MP 123 and the Gila River. Flaring the roadway at these locations will allow for a separation distance of approximately 200 feet between the northbound and southbound roadways thus aiding in the operation of the unsignalized intersections.

Ultimate Access Management Plan

The ultimate facility recommendation for SR 85 is a fully access controlled highway built to Interstate standards. Access to and from the highway will be provided only at grade-separated traffic interchanges (TI’s) which correspond to the locations of recommended at grade intersections.

Since ADOT is currently preparing a DCR for an access controlled connection between SR 85 to I-8 near Gila Bend, the ultimate SR 85 access management plan does not address ultimate conditions south of MP 123.

Each of the recommended intersections can support the construction of a grade separated interchange. During the final design efforts for the initial SR 85 widening projects, concepts for future interchanges were developed at each of the intersection locations to determine fatal flaws and to acquire right-of-way for the future interchanges.

With the exception of the proposed TI’s at Buckeye Hills Recreation Area and Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, it is anticipated that all of the future TI’s on this segment of SR 85 will be constructed with the cross road over the mainline. This configuration will allow the construction of the TI’s without adversely affecting the operation of the mainline roadway.

Recommended Traffic Interchange Locations

With the exception of Baseline Road and Lower Buckeye Road, each of the recommended at-grade intersection locations can support the conversion to an at-grade intersection. While every effort has been made to site these intersections to provide reasonable access to SR 85 in both the near term and long range plans, there may be locations where development may require additional access locations. Interchange locations not documented in this report will require a change of access report that must clearly demonstrate that construction of the interchange will not compromise minimum interchange spacing requirements and not adversely affect the operations of the corridor.

Implementation

Implementation of the recommended ultimate access management plan will be dependent on adjacent development, and the general growth of the area. Further, construction of the proposed TIs cannot be accomplished without public or private funding. Therefore, these are considered long-range improvements. The conversion of an at grade intersection to a fully grade separated interchange will be occur when traffic volume warrants for a traffic signal are met for all of the locations south of the Gila River. North of the Gila River interchanges would be warranted once the capacity of the traffic signal has been exceeded.

It is recommended that traffic volumes on this corridor need to be monitored on a regular basis to predict when the signal warrant criteria at a cross road may be met to allow for future programming of these improvements. As developments are improved along this corridor, it is recommended that ADOT and the local jurisdictions require developers to aid in the funding of the conversion of the intersections to grade separated interchanges.

This access management plan was developed to account for existing conditions and expected future growth within the SR 85 corridor. As this study was developed concurrently with the design of the SR 85 widening projects it is expected that access control will have been acquired along the entire corridor once the interim widening is complete. If development in the area requires the construction of additional access locations, a change of access report will be necessary to adjust the access control limits. Therefore future updates to this study will likely not be required for SR 85 from Gila Bend to the Gila River.

The future construction of the recommended alternative for the direct connection from SR 85 to I-8 near Gila Bend could change the traffic and development patterns within the Town of Gila Bend. An update of the access management plan for Business 08 and SR 85 from Business 08 to MP 123 may be required to ensure that the future needs of ADOT and the Town of Gila Bend are met.

Public Involvement

For more information about this project, please contact:

Brock Barnhhart
Communication & Community Partnerships
Arizona Department of Transportation
602.712.8147