Casa Grande

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

May 23, 2022

When it comes to the long-awaited Interstate 10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande, more money means more lanes. With that goal, the Arizona Department of Transportation has submitted a proposal to get additional federal dollars to combine with state funds for the project. 

ADOT has officially delivered a grant application through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for an added $300 million to supplement the $400 million state appropriation signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey earlier this month. That commitment of state dollars made ADOT eligible to apply for the federal competitive grant. There is also $290 million previously budgeted, for a potential project total of $990 million. Construction is funded in part by Prop. 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. 

ADOT is collaborating closely with the Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments on the I-10 project, and the ADOT application has also gained the vital support of the Arizona congressional delegation, state legislators, and local and regional elected officials. Additionally, more than 50 letters of support have been received from multiple chambers of commerce, trade associations as well as large and small businesses. 

“This project is essential for Arizona to enhance the safety and traffic capacity of I-10 with the added benefit of positively impacting our economy,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Interstate 10 is a Key Economic Corridor. Commercial traffic on I-10 carries significant numbers of products and commodities, many of which are manufactured or produced right here in Arizona. These critical items reach every corner of the United States and internationally.” 

Halikowski added, “ADOT will do everything possible to leverage financial resources to expand and improve these 26 miles of highway and associated infrastructure. Applying for these federal funds speaks loudly to our commitment to the vision of moving Arizona and becoming the safest, most reliable transportation system in the nation.”

The grant award announcement is expected sometime this fall. In the interim, an engineering and environmental study for the project is currently being completed in cooperation with the Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Additionally, a public hearing for the project is planned in late summer.

Following completion of required environmental review and clearance, the project is expected to start in 2023, beginning with expanding the bridges that carry traffic over the Gila River. Should the federal money not be awarded to the state, ADOT will have contingencies prepared to maximize the use of available dollars for lane expansion. 

Target completion date for the full project is sometime in 2026.

For more information: http://i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com/ 

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

SR24-1

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications
May 12, 2022

Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

We’ve been there. A lot. The denizens of the Ol' ADOT Ranch -- a bucolic place somewhere near Sunflower, or so we’d like to believe -- drive Arizona's roads, too, don’t ya know.

With all that experience driving, we know it’s a great road, but it has one very noticeable stretch that reminds us of the old kiddie song, “One of these things is not like the other.”

You know what we’re talking about. The, shall we say, narrower segment between Casa Grande and Chandler. It kind of stands out compared to the rest of the drive between Tucson and Phoenix. 

Yep, it’s pretty noticeable. But some good news has come down the pike, and help is on the way. 

The good folks at the state legislature and Governor Ducey have done a remarkable job by, in rapid fashion, appropriating $400 million to expand this portion of  I-10 to three lanes in each direction.

Those state dollars make ADOT eligible to apply for even more money through a federal grant. If successful, we could see an additional $300 million. That’s on top of $290 million already set aside for this work. 

There are a few outstanding procedural matters involving public participation and environmental reviews, but the idea here is to begin work in 2023; starting with expanding the I-10 bridge over the Gila River and having everything done in 2026. 

If you want to learn more, please take a look here: http://i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com/

Litter push removes 11,000 pounds of roadside garbage in Tucson region

Litter push removes 11,000 pounds of roadside garbage in Tucson region

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Litter push removes 11,000 pounds of roadside garbage in Tucson region

Litter push removes 11,000 pounds of roadside garbage in Tucson region

August 25, 2021

Interstate 10 on south side is a hotspot for littering

TUCSON - In an unprecedented push to remove roadside garbage and debris, 42 Arizona Department of Transportation employees from southern Arizona were recently able to pick up 11,000 pounds of trash and bulk items.

ADOT personnel from Casa Grande, Coolidge, Nogales, Oracle, Three Points, Tucson, and St. David cleaned up a stretch of Interstate 10 from Rita Rd. to Kino Blvd.; a distance of about 11 miles. This portion of the highway is a hot spot for roadside garbage and debris and the cleanup required approximately half of the available ADOT South Central District maintenance staff. 

“We did this because of an overwhelming amount of roadside garbage and debris on ADOT right-of-way,” said Highway Operations Supervisor Fernando Murrietta. “The problem isn’t just how much litter there is, but how it gets there. People throw trash from their vehicle and it’s ADOT crews who live and work in southern Arizona who pick it up. We are part of the solution because we’re cleaning up other peoples’ messes.  Things would be much better if people would be more respectful of the environment.”

Maintenance personnel are available to perform cleanup duties as part of their ongoing work, but their primary responsibility is safety-related work such as guardrail repair, pavement maintenance, right-of-way fence repair to keep livestock off roadways and other similar jobs. 

In addition to ADOT employees, trash cleanups are conducted by volunteer groups as well as state prison inmate crews. Inmate crews have not been available due to COVID-19 restrictions in prison complexes, but are now beginning to return to roadside duties. 

For more information about the ADOT Adopt a Highway program: azdot.gov