The Arizona State Transportation Board has approved the 2025-2029 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, which emphasizes pavement and bridge improvements and expanding key highways.
The $8.2 billion program emphasizes improving highway pavement and bridge infrastructure throughout greater Arizona, which encompasses areas outside of Maricopa and Pima counties.
The plan provides more than $2.5 billion for these high-priority improvements during the next five years, which will include improving highway safety, efficiency and functionality, such as intersection improvements, smart technology, freight mobility and signs, signals and lighting.
Funding for the statewide program comes from federal, state and local dollars in addition to money generated by users of transportation services in Arizona, according to a press release announcing the plan.
It also allocates $780 million for projects that widen highways or improve interchanges across greater Arizona, including:
- Widening and improving U.S. 93 between Wickenburg and Interstate 40 in Kingman, including expanding three segments of the highway from two to four lanes.
- Widening the last two-lane section of State Route 260 in the Lion Springs area between Payson and Heber-Overgaard. This will complete a four-lane divided highway along the entire State Route 260 corridor.
- Constructing a new I-40 interchange at Rancho Santa Fe Parkway in Kingman.
In the Maricopa County region, the program features approximately $2 billion in construction projects planned in conjunction with the Maricopa Association of Governments. Those projects include:
- Widening Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. The I-10 Wild Horse Pass Corridor will have four projects, including the construction of the I-10 Bridges Over the Gila River that began this spring.
- Extending Loop 303 between Van Buren Street and Maricopa County 85.
- Providing new HOV ramp connections between I-10 and Loop 101.
- Reconstructing the intersection of Grand Avenue, 35th Avenue and Indian School Road to separate traffic.
In Pima County, in coordination with the Pima Association of Governments, the program includes $849 million toward:
- Improvements to I-10. Kino to Country Club, which includes building a new interchange at I-10 and Country Club Road, reconstructing the interchange at Kino Parkway and also widening I-10 in the area.
- Reconstructing the I-19 interchange at Irvington Road.
The five-year program is developed by the state’s transportation agency working closely with local governments, regional transportation planning organizations and tribal communities to prioritize projects that are ready to build or design, according to the press release.
Source: Arizona Department of Transportation, Azcentral.com
