By Elias Weiss | InMaricopa
In response to the ongoing battle for control over a crucial Sonoran Desert Parkway intersection between Maricopa and the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the city today issued a lengthy statement as it plans to move forward to complete the decade-long project.
The Ak-Chin, whose chairman just last year dubbed the purpose-made parkway“exciting” and a “great opportunity,” cut itself out of the project after lobbing cease-and-desist letters and accusing the city of flouting a federal order.
The city issued the following statement today:
The Pinal Regional Transportation Plan, which was adopted by voters in 2017, included a handful of key projects for Maricopa, including the Sonoran Desert Parkway, originally dubbed the “East-West Corridor.” But work to create this plan began long before that time.
It was, in part, a product of stakeholder and public outreach efforts. The plan was so widely accepted that the citizens of Pinal County voted to place a ½-cent sales tax on themselves to move this and other regional projects forward. While this tax would eventually be overturned by the courts, the need for key Maricopa projects has continued, and the City of Maricopa has continued to move forward the Sonoran Desert Parkway, as a critical component of the Regional Transportation Plan.
