An order from a federal court in Tucson will force state and federal transportation agencies to revisit a report on the environmental impact of a proposed route for Interstate 11 through southern Arizona.
The order cites an agreement between environmentalist groups and those agencies.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the Tier One Environmental Impact Statement for a route that would run I-11 through desert west of the Tucson Mountains.
That route concerned environmentalists who say it could impact undeveloped desert, Saguaro National Park West and sites that are sacred to tribes in the area.
"There's just a whole host of issues that we get a new chance to look at the deficiencies in this interstate proposal," said Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the suit.
The US Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Transportation are not allowed to move on to the Tier Two environmental study while the stay is in place.
"Federal Highway Administration and ADOT will undertake a re-evaluation of the Interstate 11 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with federal regulations. This effort will also include a public comment period," ADOT said in a statement to AZPM.
That new public comment period is of importance to CBD.
"The public can re-engage and raise new concerns and bring forward new evidence about impacts to threatened and endangered species or Saguaro National Park or these sorts of issues that we raise in our original briefings," McSpadden said.
McSpadden added that the order does not end the case, and the lawsuit may again become active should the re-evaluation of the study result in the route not changing.
