Pinal Partnership May Government Relations Committee Meeting Recap: transportation, infrastructure and budget
For the May Pinal Partnership Government Relations Committee (PPGRC) Meeting, Co-Chairs Rebecca Timmer with Wilson & Company and Ben Bitter with the Town of Florence, invited the Pinal Partnership Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to join us to hear updates from Carlos Lopez with ADOT and Jason Bottjen, Transportation Planning Supervisor with Pinal County Public Works.
Carlos Lopez, Corridor Planning Manager, Multimodal Planning Division, ADOT gave updates on the following projects.
- I-10 widening – ADOT is working closely with Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments on the proposed study to improve the 1-10 Corridor between Chandler and Casa Grande. A virtual public meeting was held in November 2020 on alternatives and options. Draft Environmental and Engineering Reports comparing the Recommended Build Alternative and No-Build alternative will be available late 2021 with public hearings to present results in 2021/early 2022. There is planned construction funding in 2025 for various sections but ADOT is looking at more funding options for the rest for the improvements. Project website.
- SR-24 extension updates – Ellsworth Road to Ironwood Drive construction began in November 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in summer 2022. Entire project will open to traffic at once.
- North-South Corridor Study – 50-mile corridor to connect I-10 near Eloy and US60 in Apache Junction. There is strong support for this infrastructure to address traffic, growth and connectivity in Pinal County. Next steps are to share the Final EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) in Summer 2021. Additional studies and public input may be needed. To see an interactive map of the project click here.
Jason Bottjen, Transportation Planning Supervisor with Pinal County Public Works gave updates on the below Pinal County Transportation projects and initiatives:
- PRTA – Currently $59,684,253.92 million has accrued and is frozen in escrow until we hear a pending ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court. Revenues are coming in at $2 million per month ($25M per year), not slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. More information can be found at http://pinalrta.org/
- Meridian Road Project (Germann Rd to the SR24) – design is complete, expected to be open to traffic in July 2022.
- BUILD Grant – Transportation and Infrastructure improvements related to Inland Port project in partnership with Pinal County, the City of Eloy and the City of Coolidge.
- Queen Creek roadway network study in 10-year horizon. Study should be completed this fall.
- Pinal Airpark study for improvements
- Red Rock improvements for secondary access
Ben Bitter gave a quick legislative update and referenced the Economic Impact Study recently released by Jim Rounds. As the budget stands, the impacts of a flat tax in Arizona are robust and cuts funding for things such as police and fire. View the full report here.
The proposed budget also includes funding for important Pinal County projects such as:
- Riggs Road Overpass $10M
- Tier 2 N/S study $4M
- Town of Florence Butte Ave Bridge $1M
- US60 $7M
- SR87 $8M
Contact your legislators to encourage them to continue supporting transportation projects in the budget.
A great source of information Rebecca and Ben encourage you to check out is the most recent update from the Rural Transportation Advocacy Council.
Mitch Basefsky with CAP encouraged those interested to register for CAP University – a program for members of the public with a goal to increase awareness and knowledge about CAP. This fast-paced, virtual event will include a high-level overview of the CAP system presented by CAP Board Members and leadership team. Register today!
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22, 8-9am via Zoom.
Committee meetings are open to all members of Pinal Partnership. Please contact Melissa Johnson if you would like information to join the committee and/or join as a member of the Partnership.
