The road leading to Arcosanti has long been a subject of debate.
Currently the road is maintained by the rancher who grades the road in return for his cattle being allowed to graze in the property.
However the road seems to often get bumpy especially after the rainy season when major ruts get formed by the rain.
It is believed that a major impediment to the project attracting tourists is the poor condition of the roads which seems to be a major complaint of the visitors.
Paving Cost too High
Over the years various efforts have sought to address the problem by proposing to pave the road but have gotten nowhere. The price of such a project seems to be financially prohibitive given the limited budget of the foundation at this time. It is estimated that cost of paving 2.5 miles of road at Arcosanti is in the range of $500,000 to $1,000,000 dollars. For an organization with many pressing needs and a limited budget of around $800,000 dollars a year, the idea of paving the road seems to be outside of its current scope of operations.
Road Maintenance needs to be Considered
Its not clear that paving the road is the best and only option. Indeed once paved, the road will continue to need to be paved periodically every 10-15 years [2]. Of course the initial paving cost is going to be more because you have to contour the land, excavate excess material, install drainage piping, add a base course before paving and then grade and compress the base course before adding the final asphalt pavement. Regardless the design of any paving project should include a maintenance cost of repaving the road every 10 years in addition to the initial pavement expenditure.
Benefits of the Highway 69 & Interstate 17 Interchange Improvement Project to Arcosanti
A project to pave a portion of the road to Arcosanti, is included in the improvement of the Highway 69 - Interstate 17 interchange. The project seeks to alleviate traffic congestion and safety concerns with a 55 million dollar public works project.
The project in addition to addressing the safety and traffic bottlenecks also appears to be designed to stimulate development (gas stations, car washes, motels, fast food, Wal Mart, etc) on a strip of highway under construction between the Chevron Station up to the overpass that will connect the soon to be completed Arcosanti Road to the existing road to Arcosanti (N Stagecoach Trail Road aka Cross L Ranch Road).
A common requirement put upon highway departments is to design roads with coordination with development planners so that increased highway utilization includes more development along the highways. This is controversial because it shows how the project to improve the road to Arcosanti comes with both potential benefits and pitfalls.
Governments have used and continue to use road building and the expansion of existing roads with a eye to maximizing throughput - that is the flow of traffic - in a way that defines functionality in terms of enabling the mobility of the car rather than ensuring people have a range of options including pedestrian and bicycle options.
Approximately a half mile of the road that is now unpaved will be paved once the construction of the interchange is completed. This will reduce the cost of paving the road if Arcosanti comes up with the financial resources to complete this project.
Alternatives to Paving
One alternative to simply giving up and waiting for a white knight to come with money for paving the road might include a more aggressive regime for maintaining the road. This might include
building of the road base to facilitate drainage
better water drainage with permacultural techniques emphasized rather than simply getting the water flowing out as fast as possible installing pipes and culverts
Adding of gravel on a regular basis to keep ruts from developing in the road base
Grading several times a year whenever conditions demand
Improving the unpaved road now and keeping it maintained may reduce the costs of prepping the road for paving in the future if that times comes.
It also true that in many areas, a properly maintained gravel road can significantly reduce complaints about road quality.
References & Notes:
ADOT Highway 69 & Interstate 17 Interchange Project Page: http://www.azdot.gov/highways/projects/I17_CordesJct_TI/index.asp
ADOT Highway 69 & Interstate 17 Interchange Project Factsheet (PDF) http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Projects/I17_CordesJct_TI/PDF/Factsheet.pdf
Arconauts Mull the Pros and Cons of the the I-17 & AZ 69 Intersection Construction Project: http://arcosanti.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/arconauts-mull-pros-and-cons-of-i-17-az-69-intersection-construction/
In a recent post on my blog, I discuss the pros and cons of the AZ 69 & I-17 Interchange Improvement Project in relation to Arcosanti.
On a trip to Tucson I attended a Sustainable Tucson meeting that discussed an effort by the Regional Transportation Authority to widen major arteries in Tuscon and the possible adverse affects on nearby neighborhoods. They also explored at a larger scale issues associated with an increasing amount of time and money allocated on the car as well as mounting research about various negative environmental impacts: http://arcosanti.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/1284/
2007 DOT study on Cars: http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_11.html
This report indicates that the average asphalt paving lasts about 9 years: http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=919030
ADOT blog details progress and improvements for the Interchange: http://adotblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/work-continues-on-i-17cordes-junction.html