(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents a coalition of property and business owners throughout Pinal County who have worked to bring new transportation infrastructure to the region.)
By Donovan Kramer Jr. | Pinal Central
Pinal County voters on the November ballot will have an opportunity to fund major improvements
to roads and highways that are needed severely.
The voters approved the same half-cent sales tax increase five years ago, but it was rejected by the
Arizona Supreme Court on a technicality. The plan that was approved in 2017 still exists, along with
the structure of the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority.
Earlier this year, the Arizona Legislature funded the county’s biggest transportation need, widening Interstate 10 from Casa Grande to Chandler.
Federal dollars are likely to be added. Getting this funding required a long wait. Unfortunately,
dollars for other major projects, beyond routine maintenance, are not coming. Proposition 469 is a
pretty easy answer. That is the same method that allowed Maricopa County to add so many new
freeways over recent decades.
The planning that went into the 20-year proposal, done in previous years, calls for some major
connectors between cities. It also has projects for most of the cities and towns in the county. The
plan includes:
- Adding two more lanes to State Route 347 north of Maricopa
- A 21-mile East-West Roadway corridor connecting Maricopa with Casa Grande, which adds a
- route to I-10
- A 36-mile North-South Parkway corridor between U.S. 60 and the Kortsen-Kleck roadway
- alignment in Coolidge
- An I-10 interchange at Kortsen Road in Casa Grande
- About 50 miles of regional roadway improvements for connectivity and economic development
- About 100 new lane miles in the county for arterial and local roadways
- Right of way preservation for the future I-11 between the Pinal-Maricopa County line and I-8
- Right of way for the remaining 15-mile segment of the North-South Parkway between Coolidge and I-10
- Park and ride facilities throughout the county
- Expansion of dial-a-ride services and existing
- Transit systems on local road projects in Eloy, Superior, Mammoth and Kearny
Most people in the county know that roads have gotten more crowded, despite improvements that local government has been able to make. The growth that is occurring now could make that substantially worse, and that includes emergency services. A “yes” vote on Prop. 469 will mean a better quality of life for people in Pinal County.
