Federal funding has been secured for the 26-mile stretch of I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix that’s set to expand to three lanes.
Both Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema announced funding for the plan this week to improve I-10 on the Gila River Indian reservation.
The project, expedited with additional state funding under former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, was last year denied $300 million in federal funds it requested back in 2022.
Now, the senators and current Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs say $95 million is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Congress passed and President Biden signed in 2021.
Senator Sinema says construction dates are still being decided on but theyre getting close to breaking ground.
Having three lanes on I-10 back and forth instead of two is going to be a game changer for us all,” Sinema said. “It will also make a difference for commerce in Arizona.
In addition to commerce, she says safety of drivers was also top of mind.
“It is a bottleneck, and we know it can become dangerous when accidents occur,” Sinema said.
Sinema said theyre working now with ADOT and the Gila River Indian community on setting a start date for construction.