Arizona transportation board approves 5-year roadway construction program

PHOENIX — A five-year transportation construction program aimed to improve and expand Arizona roads was approved Friday, officials said.

The 2023-2027 program, which allocates the spending of $6.7 billion over the next five years, includes funding for various highway improvement projects across the state.

A $328 million project estimated to begin this year will add lanes along Interstate 17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point.

More than $400 million will go toward projects set to begin in 2023 that include the widening of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. The replacement of the Gila River bridges will also begin next year and is estimated to cost approximately $110 million.

Construction of the first phase of the Interstate 40/U.S. 93 West Kingman interchange is estimated to cost $163 million and will begin in 2024.

About $109 million will go toward widening the last two-lane section of State Route 260 in the Lion Springs area, which will complete ADOT’s goal of finishing a four-lane divided highway along the entire State Route 260 corridor.

Over the next five years, about $463 million will go toward investing in projects that improve highway safety and functionality. One project includes more than $68 million to expand broadband connectivity along I-40 from Flagstaff to the California state line.

Funding of more than $2.5 billion on pavement preservation projects will also bring around 400 lane miles of pavement from fair and poor condition to good condition, ADOT said.

The five-year program also allows ADOT to reach its annual goal of allocating $360 million for preservation of bridges and roadways.

Funding for the program comes primarily from gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and the vehicle license tax.

Independent revenue streams established through voter-approved sales taxes allow for more expansion projects to take place in the Maricopa and Pima County regions.

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