By Pinal Central
SACATON — For the Gila River Indian Community, the stretch of Interstate 10 that passes through its tribal lands has been considered unreliable, unsafe and often described as the “fatal funnel” due to the high number of accidents and fatalities in the area.
Up to 126,000 vehicles utilize that stretch of the I-10 every day, according to the tribe, and the 26-mile stretch of highway is the only section that does not have three lanes.
That portion of the highway has been a consistent strain on the GRIC families, students, elders and employees, which led to an aggressive advocacy push for funding to widen the highway to match the rest of the roadway.
