52
February 2016
Transportation important issue in Maricopa County
BY DENNY BARNEY
As Maricopa County continues to grow, transportation remains a critical issue. Whether driving to work, picking up the kids from school, or going for a hike in the San Tan Mountains, our roads are an important part of East Valley life. The Maricopa County DENNY BARNEY. Department of Submitted photo Transportation (MCDOT) plans, designs, builds, maintains and operates many of the roads we use each day. In our area, there are many projects underway we know will help improve people’s commutes. The largest effort is a series of projects along the nearly 10-mile stretch of Riggs Road from Val Vista Drive in Chandler to Meridian Road in Queen Creek. MCDOT, the City of Chandler, and the towns of Queen Creek and Gilbert are working together to add lanes, upgrade major intersections and improve roadway drainage. These projects are still in the early stages but, when completed, Riggs Road will serve as a major east-west
Opinion
route to ease traffic congestion, promote economic development and connect communities and businesses throughout the county. In addition to building and expanding roads, MCDOT is also working to ease traffic through traffic management. Along Riggs Road at Alma School Road, MCDOT’s “Intelligent Transportation System (ITS)” project is putting in 3.5 miles of fiber optic cable that will allow real-time information to be sent to the Traffic Management Center. This will make monitoring and actively managing traffic flow easier, and your travel less congested. Maricopa County also believes in responsible fiscal management. MCDOT and the Town of Gilbert have entered into a cooperative agreement (the “Entente Program”) that allows both agencies to share resources to perform routine or emergency highway maintenance services. The Entente Program offers MCDOT and regional partners a more efficient model to continue providing connections that improve lives. MCDOT’s road projects start with smart and effective planning. MCDOT is in the process of revising its current Transportation System Plan (TSP 2035),
Sound Off: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! SOUND OFF was transcribed from our Sound Off line during the past month. Sound Off is a monthly editorial feature of Gilbert Sun News. We encourage you to participate. As long as it's not profane or libelous we will print it in our next issue. Calls are limited to one minute. Please leave your name only if you'd like it printed. Come on, get it off your chest!
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First I heard it was 10,000 refugees then 25,000, now 50,000 The writer mentions the Congress, then getting rid of the president. The Congress has control over this situation along with the State Dept. I don’t know what the president has to do with the refugee problem. To the writer about student-athlete deaths: They were not killed but died. More must be done to keep these kids safe. Not as much fun for the adult spectators but maybe some kind of less violent form of football. To the writer about Putin and the president: With all due respect, go to adult education
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and learn about our Constitution. Congress declares war. In the recent past Congress has been duped into the war powers act. This bypasses the Constitution. To the writer about Bridget and credit card calls: Get an answering machine to start. It works for me. Look into the do not call list. There are laws about repeated calls. If you do answer simply say do not call according to the law. If they do, they can be fined. Have caller ID to record the number for the FCC and the FTC. To the writer about being informed: The informed person looks at all the information presented and makes their decision. Be
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a framework to address transportation needs over the next 20 years. Last year, MCDOT held public meetings throughout the county to gather input on what is important to county residents. This spring, the Draft TSP 2035 will be available for public comment and feedback. Once the Draft TSP 2035 is updated with final recommendations, it will be forwarded to the Transportation Advisory Board and then to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for consideration and adoption. The goal is for the plan to be adopted in November.
Maricopa County is committed to improving your roads and your commute throughout the county by strengthening the connections among our communities, which supports our economic development and traffic safety throughout the region. Keep up to date with all of MCDOT’s news on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MaricopaDOT) and on Twitter: @MCDOTNews.
it Republican or Democrat. Think with your head and not your preconceived perception. To the writer about the Boston bombers: They were typical American teenagers, then young men. The older turned away from his secular feelings and went towards the radical side. The younger admired his brother and he says he followed his lead. Both were on the radar. But like any combat or attack only the attacker knows the time and place. Radicalization came later, so a background check would probably not have shown any information that could be seen as a red flag. To the writer of an eye for an eye: Appeals are part of the justice system. If you don’t like that then look into changing the law. If you were in their place, I think you would want your lawyer to exhaust all the possibilities before sticking that needle in your arm. There are many on death row who indeed are innocent. Many have been saved by new evidence and methods. DNA for one. I read a very good book on how evidence is withheld, or the prosecution only looks at one person – “An Innocent Man.” Evidence that could find the defendant not guilty is often withheld. A conviction does not always mean guilt.
Several years ago there was a caller, Rachel, from Credit Services, that was a recording. I got the calls at home and on vacation, and even once it came through on an elevator! Then they stopped...for a while. When they resumed it was from a different woman, I don’t remember the name. It could have been Bridget. So I was curious and let the call go through to an operator. When a young man answered I asked him, “What happened to Rachel?” Without hesitation he said, “She died.”
Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
The Society of Arizona Pioneers was founded in 1884 and changed its name to the Arizona Historical Society in 1971. In 1984, it celebrated its centennial and published a 230-page book (“Pioneer Heritage”) commemorating its first 100 years. Then, just 30 years later in 2014, it celebrated its 150th anniversary. A sesquicentennial logo with a 150 in it was created. There was a special 150-item display and a celebration in Tucson. Zachary Ziegler, of Arizona Public Media, published a Sept. 1, 2014, anniversary story after interviewing the collection manager. The AHS itself published a special edition of the Journal of Arizona History to commemorate its