Maricopa Association of Governments, State Route 30 (SR 30) Construction Acceleration Assessment

The State Route 30 (SR 30) Construction Acceleration Assessment was conducted by High Street to determine the benefits, risks, and impacts of alternative delivery methods and other potential strategies to accelerate delivery of SR 30, a major new highway corridor in the greater Phoenix region. High level planning work for the corridor started decades ago but funding challenges, federal project development requirements, complex right of way acquisitions, and time-consuming utility relocations have delayed project delivery. MAG’s oversight committee expressed interest in exploring strategies to accelerate construction, including consideration of alternative delivery methods and financing options. The SR 30 Construction Acceleration Assessment effort fulfills this need by evaluating how different approaches to accelerating SR 30 could influence cost, schedule, and risk across the corridor and the current approved regional freeway program. The assessment included almost twenty interviews with key stakeholders, an in-person validation workshop with MAG staff, extensive research into key project documentation, analysis of construction bid data, and evaluation of an array of potential alternative delivery methods and acceleration strategies. The assessment leveraged the national expertise and transportation agency executive leadership experience of the High Street team’s staff. Team members included a former state DOT director; a former construction contractor executive; staff with a variety of experience working at, and supporting, state DOTs and MPOs; and subject matter experts with decades of experience in alternative delivery, working as both owners’ representatives and design consultants.