In Arizona, Burgess & Niple (B&N) is leading the US-60/Grand Avenue Corridor Optimization, Access Management Plan, and System Study (COMPASS) to identify changes that will improve mobility and drive economic development on a 24-mile stretch of urban roadway. The project is located in the Cities of Phoenix, Surprise, El Mirage, Peoria and Glendale; the Town of Youngtown; and Maricopa County.
The US-60/Grand Avenue corridor is a key regional multimodal transportation facility for metropolitan Phoenix. The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the Arizona Department of Transportation and municipalities are seeking solutions to improve roadway operations, reduce congestion and strengthen regional economic development.
The corridor includes unique, complex roadway geometrics and substantial physical constraints, including the BNSF Railway tracks that are parallel to US-60/Grand Avenue.
As part of the study, B&N is:
- Facilitating the development of an overall vision for the Corridor that embraces the important regional function and unique character of US-60/Grand Avenue
- Documenting and analyzing existing conditions, traffic operations, roadway geometrics and safety characteristics
- Analyzing more than 400 corridor access points and providing an access management plan that allows efficient access to and from adjacent properties
- Defining the operational character for the US-60/Grand Avenue Corridor to enhance economic development, maintain accessibility to adjacent land uses, improve traffic operations and reduce highway and rail conflicts
- Developing a plan for improving roadway operations
At the project’s conclusion, B&N engineers will recommend and prioritize improvements and develop access management guidelines and policies for future use.