Maricopa County voters extend half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects

PHOENIX — Maricopa County residents overwhelmingly voted to extend a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects on Tuesday night.

About 60% of voters approved Proposition 479, the half-cent county sales tax that has existed for four decades and will continue through 2045. If the measure had failed, the tax would have disappeared, cutting off the primary funding mechanism for Valley transportation projects.

The regional transportation tax has been in place since 1985, the year after Maricopa County voters established it through Prop 300. In 2004, voters approved a 20-year extension through the end of 2025 as Prop 400.

“This is a signature moment for the region,” Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Chair and Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said in a press release. “For 40 years, and with the unanimous support of local governments with diverse populations and needs, Valley residents have confirmed their commitment to preserving our transportation infrastructure and investing in our future mobility.”

What projects will half-cent sales tax fund?

Prop 479 is projected to raise $15 billion in revenue over the next 20 years, according to MAG.

It will support $28 billion in transportation projects, including updates to Interstates 10 and 17, and State Routes 24 and 30.

Future improvements also include:

• 331 new freeway/highway lane miles.
• 134 new HOV lane miles.
• 1,000 new or improved arterial lane miles.
• More than 28 miles of Bus Rapid Transit.

“Phoenicians have made clear once again how vital transportation investments are to their quality of life in the Valley,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a past MAG chair, said. “Thanks to the half-cent sales tax extension, our region will expand and diversify its transit options, support critical ADA paratransit services, and improve miles of roads, freeways, and more.”

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