PHOENIX – With work on a State Route 347 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Maricopa set to begin later this year, the public will have another opportunity to review plans at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 5.

The $55 million project includes a bridge over the railroad tracks, a new intersection with Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and a new alignment just east of the current route.

The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Maricopa Unified School District board room, 44150 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, just east of SR 347. An Arizona Department of Transportation presentation will begin at 6 p.m., and the project team will be available to answer questions until about 7:30 p.m.

The bridge is being designed to alleviate railroad-related delays on SR 347, the main highway connecting Maricopa with Interstate 10 and Phoenix. The SR 347/Union Pacific Railroad intersection currently sees 31,000 vehicles and 40-60 trains each day, with projections of more than 60,000 vehicles and as many as 100 trains daily by 2040.

ADOT has been discussing plans for the bridge with the Maricopa community since 2012. After a public hearing in December 2014, ADOT selected a new route for SR 347 and made a slight adjustment to the route in 2016 to improve access, capacity and traffic flow.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and take about two years to complete. It is partially funded through a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.

For more information, visit the project website, azdot.gov/347GS.

PHOENIX – Drivers have a wider, safer US 60 climbing west from Superior, a new bridge that will eliminate flooding closures on US 95 near Yuma and a rehabilitated Virgin River Bridge No. 6 on Interstate 15 thanks to just some of the Arizona Department of Transportation projects completed this year in Greater Arizona.

More is on the way in 2017, including widening the last section of State Route 260 between Interstate 17 and Cottonwood, and starting work on a bridge carrying State Route 347 over railroad tracks in Maricopa.

After months of regularly scheduled blasting closures, those using US 60 between Superior and Globe now have an westbound passing lane on the grade between Oak Flat and Devil’s Canyon (mileposts 230 to 232). Other improvements along this stretch include a wider shoulder at Devil’s Canyon and bridge improvements at Waterfall Canyon near milepost 229. The projects also removed overhanging rocks that have posed the danger of rock falling during heavy rain.

This work was part of $65 million in US 60 improvements that also include ongoing work to convert the last remaining two-lane roadway segment between Phoenix and Superior into four-lane divided highway (mileposts 222-227 just west of Superior) and a project that installed LED lighting in the Queen Creek Tunnel at milepost 228.

Along I-15 in far northwestern Arizona, ADOT completed a $27 million rehabilitation of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 that replaced girders, decks and railings and widened the roadway at the bridge. This was the centerpiece of $50 million in upgrades that also included paving all 29 miles of I-15 in Arizona and repairing the decks of three other bridges in the Virgin River Gorge corridor.

Until late 2016, flash floods could cause closures of US 95 at Fortuna Wash near Yuma – no small problem considering that the wash lies between the city and Yuma County’s largest employer, Yuma Proving Ground. Today, motorists using this key trade route between the U.S. and Mexico cross Fortuna Wash on a $9.3 million, 600-foot bridge. Final work on the bridge and this stretch of US 95 will continue until spring.

Among other highlights in Greater Arizona, ADOT completed a major project to improve mobility and safety along US 89 through the Navajo Nation community of Cameron north of Flagstaff. The $36.7 million project replaced two bridges over the Little Colorado River, widened four miles of highway, added a roundabout at the junction with State Route 64, and installed sidewalks and underpasses.

On State Route 89 between Chino Valley and Interstate 40, ADOT completed a new $14.4 million bridge at Hell Canyon featuring 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders to better accommodate oversize loads and commercial vehicles. Replacing a now-dismantled bridge built in 1954 that no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, the new structure is 665 feet long and has four spans to carry the load.

In spring 2017, work is to begin on a project widening nine miles of SR 260 (mileposts 209-218) to modern four-lane divided highway from Interstate 17 west to Thousand Trails Road. This $62 million project also will install seven roundabouts at major cross streets.

Late in 2017, ADOT plans to begin work on a $55 million project in Maricopa that will realign SR 347 between Desert Cedars Drive and Hathaway Avenue and create a bridge carrying the highway over Union Pacific railroad tracks where dozens of trains pass each day. A $15 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant and a $15 million local contribution have helped ADOT move forward sooner on this project than originally planned. 

For information about other current and planned projects in Greater Arizona, visit azdot.gov/projects.

PHOENIX ‒ Improving traffic flow and safety on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. Helping commerce move on a state route between the border and Interstate 19 in Nogales. Rehabilitating an 850-foot-long bridge along Interstate 15 in northwestern Arizona.

Aiming to move forward sooner on those goals, the Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking $109.5 million through two highly competitive federal grant programs.

With $800 million available through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FASTLANE grant program, established under the 2015 FAST Act, ADOT has applied for $60 million and offered to provide $86.83 million in matching funds to be used in four ways along I-10 between the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas:

• Realigning and widening four miles in the Picacho area to three lanes in each direction while reconstructing the interchange with State Route 87.
• Widening four miles between Earley Road and Interstate 8 to three lanes in each direction while upgrading ramps at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard near Casa Grande.
• Making technology enhancements to improve traffic management and safety, including remote sensors to provide early warning of approaching dust.
• Conducting preliminary engineering and completing an environmental analysis for widening 27 miles of I-10 to three lanes in each direction between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and approximately SR 387 in Casa Grande. Any plan to widen I-10 through the Gila River Indian Community would require an agreement with the tribal government.

“The impact of Interstate 10 on Arizona’s citizens and economy is huge. Improvements to this vital link between Phoenix and Tucson are critical to our quality of life,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Each element of the FASTLANE grant proposal will advance these efforts to continue improving I-10 and significantly benefit motorists and the flow of commerce.”

Meanwhile, ADOT has submitted Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant proposals for two projects:

• $25 million, with a proposed $39 million state match, to improve the 3.75-mile State Route 189 (Mariposa Road) in Nogales. Proposed upgrades to the route, which connects the Mariposa Port of Entry with Interstate 19 and Interstate Business 19/Grand Avenue, include a raised median and improving ramps connecting with I-19.
• $24.5 million, with a proposed $10.5 million state match, to rehabilitate Virgin River Bridge No. 1 on Interstate 15. Built in 1964 and located just east of Littlefield in the far northwestern corner of Arizona, the bridge has never undergone a major rehabilitation.

Both TIGER grant projects and the two I-10 construction projects in the FASTLANE grant are already part of ADOT’s plans, both through its current construction program and the Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program that’s receiving public input and awaiting a vote by the State Transportation Board.

For Virgin River Bridge No. 1, $33 million in construction funding is programmed for fiscal 2019. For SR 189, ADOT has recommended $64 million in fiscal 2021 for construction. For the I-10 projects, ADOT has recommended $85 million in fiscal 2018 for the Picacho area and $40 million in fiscal 2019 for Earley Road to I-8.

Winning grants would allow these projects to move forward faster and enable ADOT to redirect money toward other pressing needs.

“There are no guarantees when it comes to competitive grants, but success pays big dividends for Arizona,” Halikowski said.

Since 2012, ADOT has received a total of $43.6 million through 15 competitive grants, most of them administered by U.S. DOT. Much of that amount comes from TIGER grants for a planned railroad overpass on State Route 347 in Maricopa and the ongoing reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 on I-15.

There will be plenty of competition from other states for FASTLANE and TIGER grants. For fiscal 2015, when ADOT won a $15 million grant toward the SR 347 project, U.S. DOT received 627 eligible applications worth $10.1 billion for the $500 million available. About $500 million is available in the current round of TIGER grants.

U.S. DOT is expected to announce awards from both grant programs later this year.

PHOENIX ‒ The Arizona Department of Transportation has been selected to receive a $15 million federal grant toward the construction of a railroad overpass on State Route 347, the only direct route between the city of Maricopa and metro Phoenix.

The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation is for a $55 million project intended to enhance safety and alleviate traffic backups at the SR 347 Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Maricopa.

Instead of waiting for trains to pass, motorists on SR 347 will be able to travel on an overpass above the tracks when ADOT completes the grade-separated interchange, which is slated for construction in fiscal year 2020. The new interchange also will offer better access for emergency responders.

ADOT and Maricopa officials have been working together for some time on a long-term solution for this crossing. After completing a feasibility study in 2007, ADOT partnered with the city of Maricopa to fund a design concept report and environmental analysis that began in 2012 and ultimately identified a preferred alternative.

“The reconstruction of the SR 347 interchange will enhance safety and address traffic congestion at the railroad crossing by allowing motorists, including emergency service vehicles, to pass over the tracks,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Maricopa has experienced explosive growth over the last decade and traffic volumes along this critical route will continue to climb, which is why this project has become a high priority for ADOT, Maricopa and regional transportation officials.”

More than 60 trains run daily through Maricopa – one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation – and that number is expected to grow.

“While this project has been a team effort, it would have been impossible without the ongoing support of Chairman Kelly Anderson and all the current and past members of the State Transportation Board,” Maricopa Mayor Christian Price said.

“I would also like to thank ADOT staff for their tireless work. They recognized the public safety importance and found the money in their budget, during one of the worst economic downturns, to keep this project moving forward.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation received 627 eligible applications totaling $10.1 billion, or 20 times the available funding, in requests for the seventh round of TIGER grants, which are awarded to transportation projects with significant regional or national impact. Approximately $500 million in funding was available.

Other Arizona projects that have received TIGER grants are:

• 2010: $63 million for a modern street car project in Tucson.
• 2012: $21.6 million for the rehabilitation of Interstate 15 Virgin River Bridge No. 6 in the far northwest corner of the state.
• 2014: $2.9 million for the Tawa’ovi Community Streets project for the Hopi tribal community in northeastern part of the state.
• 2014: $1.6 million for Central Phoenix Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan.
• 2015: $10.3 million for city of Phoenix Grand Canal bike and pedestrian improvements.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the city of Maricopa, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Federal Highway Administration, has received federal approval for the proposed bridge project on State Route 347 over the railroad crossing, clearing the way for the project to move forward when funding is available.

On March 18, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after reviewing the Final Environmental Assessment, the definitive decision-making document federally required for the project.

This grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, completing the design and beginning construction when funding is available.

The environmental review process, which includes preparing the draft and final environmental assessments, was conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

The estimated $55 million project is intended to alleviate traffic backups at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Pinal County by replacing the existing at-grade intersection with an overpass on SR 347, which is the only direct route between the city of Maricopa and metro Phoenix, so vehicle and train traffic do not impede one another.

More than 40 trains run daily through the middle of Maricopa, which has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation. Future plans call for more than 100 trains to pass through Maricopa daily.

In June 2014, the project was added to ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, including $18.8 million for design and right-of-way acquisition and $36.2 million for construction in fiscal year 2020:

• FY 2015: $5.5 million allocated for design and $500,000 allocated for right of way
• FY 2016: $5.5 million allocated for right of way
• FY 2017: $7.3 million allocated for right of way
• FY 2020: $36.2 million for construction

For more information on the SR 347 project, including a computer-generated video of the proposed grade separation, please visit the project webpage: azdot.gov/sr347.