By Taylor Seely | Arizona Republic
It all could be in jeopardy, everything from roadway improvements to highway construction and public transit service in Maricopa County, if the Legislature and governor can’t reach a deal in the next few weeks on Proposition 400, the region’s half-cent transportation sales tax.
And with it, civic leaders, transportation experts and economists say, the fate of the region’s economic vibrancy could be at stake.
The 25-year spending plan that Proposition 400 triggers calls for billions of dollars of investments in key highway and transit projects, which are vital to the region’s mobility, development and to its competitiveness.
Not everyone is on board with the plan. Conservative lawmakers who may decide its fate have criticized it, suggesting the blueprint is bloated with expensive public transit projects that don’t serve large parts of the population and it commits to maintaining that service for years.
