We all know of the challenges with SR347 and we had hoped that on Election Day voters would approve funding to pay for many of the fixes to the road. Although it is unlikely that Prop. 469 will receive enough votes to pass, Maricopa voters were definitely the shining stars in the election as we led the rest of the county with 60+% votes in favor of Prop. 469! So, what’s next?
First, we want you to know that we (Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members and City Staff) won’t EVER give up on improvements for SR347! Maricopa has GRIT and we can find a way. It’s a big challenge, but when you have GRIT, you can get there. Some way, somehow!
Second, there are still several irons in the fire that will help with traffic on SR347.
Riggs Rd. Overpass - Improvements will happen in segments. I believe the first segment will be the Riggs Rd. overpass. ADOT continues its stakeholder meetings in preparation for this new amenity. They are actively moving forward on the design and associated steps to get improvements to the bridge built, even if the process does take longer than we would hope. The great news is that there is a current schedule. This timeline moves the project from Environmental Study and Design/Engineering through public hearings and final environmental clearance in Nov. 2023, with the public bid process and construction to begin in 2024. It’s also important to note the funding for this segment has already been acquired.
Queen Creek - I-10 Overpass - these improvements are still planned. ADOT recently completed its initial design concept report and public hearings on the project, preparatory for moving to final design and then construction of the improvements (see image below, from ADOT’s website). The overpass is part of the $990 million project to widen I-10, and is contingent upon the State receiving a $300 million grant from the federal government. $640 million is already set aside (at the state level) for this project. The Queen Creek Road/SR347 interchange will likely be one of the first improvements made as part of this effort, as funding for this was included in Prop. 400, which was approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004.
Original source can be found here.
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