Arizona gets $20M in federal funding bills for Douglas port connector road project

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation is set to receive $20 million for its Douglas port connector road project after a federal funding bill was signed into law earlier this month.

The project’s purpose is to build a road connecting State Route 80 and the new Douglas Land Port of Entry for commercial vehicles. The port, which broke ground in September 2025, is meant to streamline commercial truck traffic between the United States and Mexico.

The traffic authority added that the additional funding, which Arizona U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego helped obtain, will allow it to build the four-lane road that it and its partners envisioned.

“This is a win for Arizona,” Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a Feb. 12 announcement. “Cross-border commerce is vital to our state’s economy, and this new infrastructure will bolster trade and strengthen Arizona’s competitiveness. I am grateful to Sens. Kelly and Gallego for securing this funding.”

More details on the Douglas port connector road project

The U.S. General Services Administration is constructing the Douglas Land Port of Entry as a separate project from the connector road.

The facility is being built to help improve capacity, reduce congestion and enhance safety at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in downtown Douglas.

ADOT attributed the port’s problems to the intermingling of commercial and passenger vehicles as well as pedestrians at the port of entry.

“Our ports of entry are critical drivers of Arizona’s economy, and a new commercial port of entry in Douglas will drive even greater cross-border traffic. Border towns like Douglas can’t be expected to absorb that traffic without the right infrastructure in place,” Gallego said.

The facility will expand commercial inspection capacity by accommodating increased trade and oversized mining equipment and is expected to be finished in fall 2028.

Meanwhile, the Douglas port connector road project will build a new four-lane roadway between SR 80 and the facility along James Ranch Road, according to ADOT.

It will also add a traffic signal at the SR 80 and James Ranch Road intersection and construct roadway drainage.

The connector road project is expected to start in fiscal year 2027.

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re building a new commercial port in Douglas that will bring more trade and economic development to southern Arizona, while increasing border security,” Kelly said. “This connector road will help move goods efficiently, reduce congestion and make travel safer for the families and workers who rely on it.”

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