Major Impacts of SMF
- Condemnation, acquisition and demolition of hundreds of homes, at least one church and several location-sensitive businesses. Disruption of hundreds of families in and around the right of way because ADOT has brought back a freeway plan from 25 years ago.
- Huge excavation (blasting through 3 ridges on the west end of South Mountain Park and removing 4 Million cubic yards of mountain) at a location considered sacred and a traditional cultural property by the Gila River Indian Community.
- Prevention of the analysis and preservation of several archeological sites.
- Possible disruption of an identified endangered species.
- Unique, expensive and elevated design to provide for major drainage from South Mountain, when this could be accomplished with a below ground level design if ADOT could learn to think creatively.
- Design that will maximize noise, health, visual and pollution impact on a huge number of adjoining properties and citizens, including at least 10 major schools (one elementary school immediately adjacent to the right-of-way) along the currently selected path through Tolleson, Laveen, and Ahwatukee.
- Location that would attract heavy interstate / international trucking into our Air Pollution Attainment area and specifically near a significant air pollution particulate measurement station on the west side, surely resulting in Federal penalties for the County.
- Expensive public remediation of a SuperFund hazardous material site on the West Side and the risk of HazMat transport through a sensitive ecological area and a community with limited egress on the East Side.
- The disparate impact of environmental pollution on the ethnic minorities / Native Americans along the western right-of-way who could demonstrate discriminatory effects resulting in possible civil rights violations.