Oversight and Management of the Maricopa County Regional Freeway System

In 1985, Maricopa County voters approved a sales tax initiative that authorized the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to embark on a 20-year program to build a comprehensive network of regional freeways in the Phoenix metropolitan area.  As of January 2005, the program was 78 percent complete, and ADOT will most likely complete the remaining 22 percent by the close of calendar year 2007, as planned.  However, ADOT, the Maricopa County Association of Governments, and the State Transportation Board (the three organizations responsible for oversight of the regional freeway system) have an opportunity to improve the program’s cost-efficiency and effectiveness.  Specifically, the oversight process should include a historical review of projects’ progress when evaluating budgetary or timeline revisions.  In addition, program and project data currently residing in decentralized systems should be consolidated.