MARCH 2012 CALIFORNIANEVADAARIZONAUTAH I-15 CORRIDOR SYSTEM MASTER PLAN MOVINGPEOPLE MOVINGGOODS Acknowledgements The I-15 Corridor System Master Plan (Master Plan) and the • City of Orem associated technical studies are products of the hard work and • City of Rancho Cucamonga commitment of each of the I-15 Mobility Alliance (Alliance) partner organizations and their dedicated staff. Their efforts are a • City of South Salt Lake testament of outstanding partnership and a true spirit of collabo- • City of St. George ration, without which this Master Plan could not have succeeded. • Clark County Department of Aviation Susan Martinovich, Director of the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and 2011 American Association of State • Clark County Public Works Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) President, served • County of San Bernardino as the Chair of the Alliance’s Executive Board and, through her agency, provided the initial funding for this effort. Without this • DesertXpress support, the creation of the Master Plan and Alliance would not • Economic Development Corporation of Utah have been possible. Her leadership and vision were an inspiration to all those participating in the Alliance. • El Dorado Holdings • Envision Utah I-15 Mobility Alliance Partners • Federal Highway Administration The I-15 Mobility Alliance partners that have participated in this • Federal Railroad Administration effort are listed below in alphabetical order. • Five County Association of Governments • American Magline Group • Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation • Amtrak • Iron County • Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) • Los Angeles Metro Transportation Authority • Arizona Game and Fish Department • Mohave County • Bear River Association of Governments • Mountainland Association of Governments • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway • National Park Service - Lake Mead National Recreation Area • Brookings Mountain West • Nellis Air Force Base • Bureau of Land Management • Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) • Cache Metropolitan Planning Organization • Nevada Division of State Parks • California Department of Transportation • Nevada Highway Patrol • California High Speed Rail Authority • Nevada Motor Transport Association • California Trucking Association • Nevada State Office of Energy • California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission • Northern Arizona Council of Governments • Carmen Group Inc. • NV Energy • City of Clearfield • Orange County Transportation Authority • City of Fontana • Port of Long Beach • City of Henderson • Port of San Diego • City of Las Vegas • Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada • City of Layton • Riverside County Transportation Commission • City of North Las Vegas • Riverside Transit Agency • City of Ontario • Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce II • San Bernardino Associated Governments • San Diego Association of Governments • Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter • Sierra Club, Utah Chapter • Southern California Association of Governments • Southwest Airlines • State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection • The Toll Roads • Union Pacific Railroad • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) • Utah Transit Authority • Utah Trucking Association • Wasatch Front Regional Council • Washington County • Western High Speed Rail Alliance Consultant Support The consultant team of CH2M HILL would like to recognize the tireless efforts of the I-15 Mobility Alliance partners in providing invaluable data, resources, and assistance in capturing, analyzing, and summarizing the technical data into this Master Plan. The consultant teams and their specific roles in this project include: CH2M HILL – Prime consultant, partner agency coordination, technical studies, Master Plan, and responsible for overall project management CDM/Wilbur Smith Associates – Freight analysis and data management The Skancke Company – Strategic advisor Brookings Mountain West – Megaregions definitions Horrocks Engineering – Utah’s programming and prioritization III Preface Older generations in America remember and within the metropolitan economies the original interstate highway system must be considered. Future transpor- concept developed in the 1950s. The tation modes and routes must focus on system is a part of our culture, and increasing system efficiency by allevi- re-educating and inspiring the public— ating congestion and improving safety. among all age groups—to think differ- An integrated, multimodal perspective ently about how the Interstate 15 (I-15) allows us to reduce the friction between Corridor connects all four Alliance states modes of transportation to maximize and beyond is a key challenge. A mindset people and goods carrying capacity. is needed that envisions a transportation system without borders, connecting The I-15 Corridor System Master Plan rural areas with metropolitan and is a summary document of a series of micropolitan regions in ways that sustain technical studies conducted by the I-15 economic prosperity and enhance our Mobility Alliance, that includes a long- quality of life. range multimodal plan, and a vision for development of facilities along Globalization, evolving trade relation- the corridor. The technical studies are ships, and technological advances updated periodically and posted continue to change economies around on the I-15 Mobility Alliance website the world. Each of these factors has an (www.i15alliance.org), which also effect on the transportation network that includes an interactive map and serves the region and the ability to meet database of projects of interregional the changing demands for multimodal significance that can be sorted by state, mobility. Many of these changes will project type, implementation timeframe, affect commodity flows along the I-15 and lead organization. Corridor. The I-15 Corridor is a national asset with global impacts and enormous This Master Plan and the associated value when considering transport technical studies are meant to evaluate of every type and mode. Expanding the corridor as a whole and are not the definition of transportation, the intended to produce a state by state multimodal movement of goods and analysis nor to supplant the priorities people can be extended to include the established by the various agencies of movement of resources essential to the I-15 Mobility Alliance. economic activity and quality of life for The Master Plan tells a story of the the communities served by the corridor. importance of the corridor and the Photo: Monument Valley, Utah By expanding our concept of transpor- challenges facing it, and outlines tation, the potential value of the I-15 an approach for addressing these asset increases exponentially. challenges, including multi-jurisdictional In the western United States (U.S.), the and interest group collaboration. Each of I-15 Corridor is the spine of a trans- the five chapters tells the following part portation network extending more of the story: than 1,470 miles through the states • Chapter 1: One Region, One of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Corridor, One Vision—defines Idaho, and Montana. I-15 is a unique, this transcontinental corridor and diagonally oriented artery linking provides an overview of its impor- coastal ports to inland population tance to the nation and local commu- centers and connecting with major nities served by it. east-west corridors that serve the entire U.S. The corridor’s ability to continue • Chapter 2: Moving People— to support the economic vitality of describes the socio-economic make-up of the adjoining the nation and the western states is megaregions and the opportunities increasingly challenged by congestion and challenges of moving people and safety issues. To address this, between these major population integrated, multimodal solutions that centers via car, rail, and airplane. move people and freight to, between, IV Photo: Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah • Chapter 3: Moving Goods— establishes the importance of goods This Master Plan only covers the portion of I-15 through the states of movement to the financial well-being California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. It is hoped and anticipated that future and quality of life of those living along the corridor, and to the nation. revisions will extend the corridor and the Alliance partnership north The opportunities and constraints of to the Canadian border. moving goods between these major population centers is described, starting with goods arriving via inland and sea ports, and continuing their The I-15 Corridor System journey by truck, rail, or airplane. Master Plan defines a • Chapter 4: A Call to Action— emphasizes the need for a plan that multi-decade multimodal is socially, politically, environmentally, and financially enduring, and outlines transportation system a process for achieving it. vision, governance, and • Chapter 5: I-15 Mobility Alliance— introduces the organizational implementation strategy, structure and mission of the Alliance, and provides a prioritized and the successes that can be achieved through collaboration. program of projects The I-15 Mobility Alliance seeks to needed to serve all establish a “best practice” standard through the creation of a sustainable modes of transportation. regional planning process for the I-15 Corridor System that defines potential Defining this vision is future transportation improvements and corridor collaboration across the U.S. a regional partnership between government and private interests in Nevada, At the time