By Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona State Transportation Board has approved the 2022-2026 Five Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, clearing the way for $1B annually in highway improvements during the next five years.
The final 2022-2026 Five-Year Program can be found here.
The plan was approved following a three-month period for the public to provide feedback. Arizonans submitted more than 1,000 comments on projects across the state. The State Transportation Board’s approval of the Five-Year Program followed a call for public comment in March and four virtual public hearings.
The approved five-year program will fund several projects to widen highways and improve safety that include:
- Adding lanes along Interstate 17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point, with construction on the $328M project beginning in 2022.
- Replacing the Gila River bridges on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Construction for that $83M project is targeted for 2023.
- Constructing the first phase of the I-40/US 93 West Kingman interchange. The $70M project is expected to begin by 2024.
- Widening US 93 between Tegner Street and Wickenburg Ranch Way. The $41M project is scheduled for 2022.
The widening projects on I-17 and I-10 are advancing through ADOT’s partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional planning agency that has committed some of the funds for those improvements.
Funding of more than $1B on pavement preservation projects will bring 581 lane miles of pavement from fair and poor condition to good condition.
The 2022-2026 Five-Year Program allows ADOT to reach its goal of allocating $320M per year for rehabilitation of bridges and roadways throughout the state highway system. These projects include repaving and repairing highways, along with repairing or reconstructing bridges. The plan also includes $407M over five years for projects that improve highway safety, efficiency and functionality, such as smart technology or addition of shoulders.
In general, major projects begin as part of the agency’s long-range visioning process, move into a six- to 10-year development program and then become part of the Five-Year Program. The Program is developed by working closely with local and regional planning organizations and community leaders to identify projects that are ready to build or design.
Funding for the Five-Year Program is generated by the users of transportation services, primarily through gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and the vehicle license tax. Both the Maricopa and Pima County regions have independent revenue streams established through voter-approved sales taxes that allow for more expansion projects to take place in those areas. (Source)