Rail
The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) operates several rail lines that traverse through the
JLUS Project Area and that are used to transport goods throughout the southwestern U.S.
The main line runs from Los Angeles, California to El Paso Texas. It enters the western
side of Pinal County outside of the Project Area and exits the county to the south,
adjacent to the I 10 in Marana and near Silverbell Army Heliport. At the intersection of
I 10 and SR 87, a spur of the railroad travels north to Florence. Just outside the
northwestern boundary of Florence, it turns northwest where it heads into the Phoenix
metropolitan area. At this point, it also connects to the Copper Basin Railroad line that
travels east along the Gila River to Hayden, AZ. This portion of the railroad line passes
south of Florence Military Reservation. The UPRR also transects Eloy on the south side of
Frontier Street and serves Eloy’s manufacturing area.
Air Transportation
Identifying the local airports in the JLUS Project Area is important when considering the
military helicopter flight operations between and around AZARNG sites. There are
several public‐use airports in the Project Area, and some private‐use airports, as well.
Figure 2‐9 identifies of the facilities inside the Project Area. The following provides an
overview of the airports within the Project Area (listed from north to south), as well as
the Phoenix‐Mesa Gateway Airport.
Public Airports
Phoenix‐Mesa Gateway Airport. Although Phoenix‐Mesa Gateway Airport is
outside the JLUS Project Area, it is the largest commercial airport in the
immediate area. It serves as a reliever airport in providing flight options
over‐and‐above options into and out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Airport. It is located in the City of Mesa and is roughly eight miles northwest of
Rittenhouse Training Site. It has three concrete runways, with the primary
airstrip also including asphalt. The primary runway measures 10,201 feet long by
150 feet wide. The other two runways measure 10,401 feet long by 150 feet
wide and 9,300 feet long by 150 feet wide. There is also an air traffic control
tower on‐site. Five commercial airlines operate out of Phoenix‐Mesa Gateway
and provide direct routes to 45 cities around the U.S. and three in Canada. The
majority of these flights are conducted by Allegiant Air. The airport also
supports general aviation, cargo aircraft, and transient military operations. For
the year 2017, it had a daily average of 795 aircraft operations, with 57 percent
local general aviation operations, 23 percent transient general aviation,
13 percent air taxi, four percent commercial, and three percent military. Air
traffic control is provided via the control tower at the airport and is available
16 hours per day seven days per week. The airspace around the airport is
Class D, which is controlled airspace from the surface up to 2,500 feet above the
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Community Profiles