The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently released its proposed five-year construction program that is now available for public comment.
The 2022-2026 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program allocates funding for several projects to widen highways and improve safety, including:
- Adding lanes along I-17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point, with construction on the $328 million project beginning in 2022.
- Replacing the Gila River bridges on I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Construction for that $83 million project is targeted for 2023.
- Constructing the first phase of the I-40/U.S. 93 West Kingman interchange. The $70 million project is expected to begin by 2024.
- Widening U.S. 93 between Tegner Street and Wickenburg Ranch Way. The $41 million project is scheduled for 2022.
Additionally, the tentative plan will invest more than $1 billion in pavement preservation projects across Arizona over five years, upgrading 581 lane miles of pavement from fair and poor condition to good condition.
The I-17 and I-10 widening projects are able to advance through ADOT’s partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional planning agency that has committed some of the funds for those improvements.
“ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments are committed to safely and efficiently move people and freight on these two Key Commerce Corridors that will better connect Arizona to major markets, while helping us better compete for quality jobs, economic growth and prosperity,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said in a statement. “And just as importantly, ADOT is investing in projects that will preserve and maintain our highway system to keep our roads and bridges in good condition.”
The 2022-2026 Tentative Five-Year Program also reaches ADOT’s goal of allocating $320 million per year for preservation of bridges and roadways throughout the state highway system. Preservation projects include repaving and repairing highways, along with repairing or reconstructing bridges. The tentative plan includes $407 million over five years for projects that improve highway safety, efficiency, and functionality, such as smart technology or addition of shoulders.
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SOURCE: Arizona DOT
