All Cochise County Routes Abandoned; Threats Continue Against San Pedro River

On March 21 the Arizona State Transportation Board voted unanimously to abandon all proposed I-10 Bypass routes that would have cut through the San Pedro River Valley. Dozens of opponents to the bypass gathered outside beforehand with noisemakers and signs, encouraging the board to drop the plan altogether.

Public pressure had continued to build against new freeway construction in Cochise County. While the board's decision is a victory for the communities that would have been affected, routes through the Avra Valley and Aravaipa Wilderness are still being considered. Critics of the bypass maintain that it would be a costly boondogle for the state, and is meant primarily to facilitate out-of-state truck traffic and open up new areas for development - rather than relieve traffic congestion. Notably, State Transportation Board Chairman Sy Shorr is known to have purchased land west of Casa Grande that would be bysected by all four of the formerly proposed routes. While opposition groups are celebrating this partial victory, many, including the Cascabel Working Group and San Pedro Wild, have vowed they will continue to oppose any of the proposed routes for the new highway, until the plan is dropped entirely. For more information on the I-10 Bypass click here or visit www.i10bypassinfo.us

Meanwhile, other threats against the San Pedro River still loom. The Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to complete 400 new miles of border wall before the end of 2008. Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife, have announced they will be appealing their lawsuit to the Supreme Court in order to overturn DHS' authority to bypass environmental, cultural and public input laws in their drive to build the apartheid wall. North of Tucson, development in Pinal County continues to violate protected land for endangered songbirds along the San Pedro River corridor. A complaint against violation of the Clean Water Act has been filed against the county.