CITY NEWS
CONSTRUCTION TO START SOON ON LOOP 101 EXPANSION IN NORTH VALLEY
By Katy Reeve
VALLEY RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT AN IMPROVED COMMUTE WHILE DRIVING THE LOOP 101 BETWEEN PIMA ROAD IN SCOTTSDALE AND THE INTERSTATE 17 INTERCHANGE. New lanes will be added in each direction on this stretch of the heavily-traveled portion of the Loop 101. According to Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the project will address bottlenecks along the Loop 101 at Interstate 17, Cave Creek Road, State Route 51 and Tatum Boulevard. On average, residents in the metropolitan Phoenix area currently spend 35 hours per year sitting in traffic.
While these lane expansions should help traffic congestion initially, officials expect this portion to get busier in years to come as the Phoenix metro area continues to grow. Phoenix is currently the sixth largest city in the U.S. and home to 1.5 million people. The greater metropolitan area ranks 11th nationwide with 4.7 million and shows no signs of slowing that growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maricopa County was the fastest-growing county in the country in 2017.
A critical component to this project, the ADOT Noise Team works to mitigate noise for federal projects as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. For more than 20 years, Arizona highways and city streets have been resurfaced with rubberized asphalt as they reach their normal life expectancy. Initially known for helping reduce the disposal of used tires, rubberized asphalt has only recently been recognized for its traffic noise reduction.
The project is expected to start in early 2019 with a planned completion date sometime in early 2021. The plans according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) include the following improvements:
According to ADOT’s Quiet Pavement and Noise Program website, rubberized asphalt consists of regular asphalt paving mixed with rubber from used tires that would otherwise end up in landfills. Rubberized asphalt has the benefit of being smoother and quieter. Noise readings have shown the rubberized asphalt generally reduces tire noise by an average of 4 decibels. Approximately 1,500 tires are used for every lane-mile of rubberized paving, which can put a major dent in the 2 million used tires that are generated annually in Maricopa County.
• Ramps and frontage road connection improvements at 10 locations along the freeway • One additional general-purpose lane between Pima Road and Interstate 17 in each direction • Auxiliary lane between Cave Creek Road and 7th Street in each direction • Drainage and technological improvements • Installing rubberized asphalt overlay to reduce noise • Constructing noise or retaining walls where needed • Improvements to pavement markings
In early 2019, ADOT is expected to hold informational meetings and two community open houses, one in Phoenix and one in Scottsdale, prior to the start of construction. Dates, times and locations of the community open houses will be announced in advance. To learn more about this project, visit ADOT’s Central District Projects at www.azdot.gov.
WAYMO LAUNCHES SELF-DRIVING RIDE HAILING SERVICE ON DECEMBER 5, WAYMO INTRODUCED ITS COMMERCIAL SELF-DRIVING SERVICE, WAYMO ONE, IN THE METRO PHOENIX AREA.
Waymo One will first be offered to hundreds of early riders who have been using Waymo’s self-driving technology since April 2017 as part of their early rider program. This diverse and passionate group has provided important feedback directly to Waymo’s research and product teams and has used Waymo for a variety of activities. Some took rides to their local college for classes or commuted to work and high school. Others used the service to get to book club each week, connect to busses, or try new restaurants on date night. “Their feedback along the way helped refine the technology and design features that met their needs,” said
Waymo CEO, John Krafcik. “Based on their comments we worked on ways to streamline pickups, made it easier to contact support for questions and began operating our service at all times of the day.”
The early rider program will continue as a way for a select group of individuals to give ongoing feedback. They’ll help test early features before those new capabilities graduate to Waymo One, where they can be accessed by the public over time. So, how does Waymo One work? Riders are given access to the app which will be available on iOS and Android devices. They can use the app to call a self-driving vehicle 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Waymo One will be available across several cities in the Metro Phoenix area. Riders will see price estimates before they accept the
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trip based on factors like the time and distance to their destination. Waymo One riders can also invite friends and family in the car with them. Up to three adults and a child can ride, and each vehicle comes equipped with one child safety car seat.
During the ride, all of the key trip details will display on the in-car screens as well as the app, and support will be front and center. With the tap of a button on the in-car console and screens, or through the Waymo app, riders can connect instantly to a rider support agent to ask questions. These channels will become even more important as Waymo transitions to fully
driverless rides. At the start, Waymotrained drivers will be riding along to supervise the vehicles for rider comfort and convenience. “There’s a long journey ahead,” Krafcik said, “but we believe that Waymo One will make the roads safer and easier for everyone to navigate.” For more information, visit waymo. com/apply. deervalleytimes.com
