(Photo by Matthew Casey - KJZZ)

Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez (from left), Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott, Mike Hammond with the Pima Association of Governments Regional Council, ADOT Director John Halikowski, Maricopa Mayor Christian Price and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton.

As populations grow and existing infrastructure ages, there are difficult questions about the future of transportation in Arizona and the United States.

With that in mind, officials from across the state gathered in Phoenix on Monday to brainstorm with U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez.

Mendez, the former head of the Arizona Department of Transportation, was joined by five panelists for a discussion that lasted about an hour.

Their discussion focused on trends outlined in a draft report called "Beyond Traffic." The 322-page document focuses on 11 megaregions throughout the country and what their transportation needs might look like in 30 years. The Phoenix area and Tucson are part of the Arizona Sun Corridor that stretches into Mexico.

States often rely on federal funding for transportation projects. But congressional dysfunction in Washington, D.C., has left questions about the future.
 
Arizona could learn from other states that have funded plans and the Legislature could make it easier for local governments to follow to suit, said panelist and city of Maricopa Mayor Christian Price.

“There are alternatives out there,” Price said. “Texas is doing them. Utah is doing them. We need to look at those models and say, ‘How do we apply those alternative financing mechanisms that they are legally using and put them here in the state of Arizona?’ And open up that toolbox for us to use so we can have those investments in infrastructure and ultimately a better economy.”

Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott, who was also a panelist, said bus rapid transit on the Loop 303, Grand Avenue and Interstate 10 would create a triangle of opportunities to better connect the West Valley with the region.

“The fact is that we really spend so much time in terms of trying to build transportation infrastructure,” Wolcott said. “It take a lot of time to plan. It takes a lot of time to build. And often times what we’re doing is chasing an old solution to a current problem.”

Beyond Traffic also looks at the role of alternative transportation, something Price said he’s excited about. Maricopans likely wished for more transportation options last week when flash flooding closed State Route 238.

“As 50,000 residents use it to get to and from Gila Bend, or on the backside a lot of the truckers use it, it really is an issue that we have to address," said Price. "And so it did create some delays and some problems and those are the things we are looking to fix in the future.”

The final draft of Beyond Traffic is due out next year.