Growing pains on roads across the state

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Mayor Sandy Moriarty is used to getting these messages: frustrated emails from residents blaming Sedona’s traffic problems on tourists, asking the city to stop marketing to them. Occasionally, she’ll pick up an angry call with similar exasperated “rants.”

This small town of 10,000 people attracts 2.8 million annual visitors, according to Arizona Department of Transportation data. The number of visitors to the Red Rock Ranger District, which includes Sedona, tripled during the past 10 years, according to a U.S. Forest Service study. Congestion through the town’s main artery, State Route 89A, presents a problem. During holiday weekends and rolling spring breaks, cars are sometimes backed up outside of city limits into Oak Creek Canyon, coming back from a day in the Canyon or at Slide Rock State Park.

Sedona’s tourism growth parallels population growth in Phoenix, the state’s largest metro area. Maricopa County was the fastest growing county in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data. Both areas face limits in infrastructure expansion. Officials agree: there is no catch-all solution to fix mounting traffic, just millions – and sometimes billions – of dollars and years of planning.

Phoenix commuters spent an average of 51 hours stuck in traffic per year, ranking 13th nationally, just ahead of Philadelphia, according to the 2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard from researchers at Texas A&M University. That number is calculated by examining delays during peak times in urban areas – those 51 hours are extra hours, on top of normal commute time. The good news: that number has hovered around 51 hours for the past several years. Phoenix compares favorably to other cities of similar metropolitan populations, such as San Francisco, where the yearly delay averages 78 hours, or Seattle, with an average of 63 hours. Still, ADOT data shows that roads are getting busier. The question: can Arizona’s infrastructure matchup?

Read more at AZ Capitol Times

Corrie O'Connor