Earlier this week, Gov. Hobbs announced that she would not oppose the construction of the proposed I-11 route through Avra Valley and west of the Tucson Mountains.
Read the full article here.
Please write to Governor Hobbs and send in Letters to the Editor to the newspaper expressing your opposition to the West Option for I-11.
The road is supposed to be part of a new link through the state between Mexico and Canada, Hobbs said. “And we’re working really hard to do that.”
This is incredibly disappointing to hear, especially since the Governor has the power to tell the state Department of Transportation to scrap this proposal that would destroy natural resources and pristine habitat, sever wildlife corridors, and violate the purpose for which these lands were set aside.
Below are some talking points you can use in your messages:
- Many of the communities impacted by the Preferred Alternative Options within the Corridor Study area are minority and low-income populations.
- The West Option would damage both natural resources and degrade the visitor experience at a wide array of public lands, especially those located in the Tucson Mountains. No mitigation could offset these negative impacts.
- Building a freeway through Bureau of Reclamation mitigation lands (Tucson Mitigation Corridor) would violate the purpose for which these lands were set aside, to mitigate for another federal project, the Central Arizona Project canal.
- The West Option would sever critical wildlife corridors. This fragmentation would destroy the ability of wildlife species such as desert bighorn sheep to disperse, roam, find new mates, and expand their home ranges.
- The West Option would cost more to build than the East Option, which would co-locate I-11 with I-19 and I-10 through Tucson.
- Downtown Tucson and economic powerhouses such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park would see reduced revenue and negative economic impacts.
- Lands and wildlife habitat that would be severely impacted include mitigation lands for Pima County’s Section 10 Habitat Conservation Plan, a part of the nationally recognized Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
- The City of Tucson, Pima County, and the Town of Sahuarita all voiced opposition to the West Option.
- The West Option places a freeway adjacent to the City’s major water supply and threatens our water security. We cannot guard against a toxic spill or damage to infrastructure that would threaten Tucson’s most vital resource.
CONTACT GOV. HOBBS & Call her office: (520) 628-6580
SEND IN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
– The Arizona Daily Independent