The Arizona Department of Transportation has received final federal approval for a proposed bridge project on State Route 347 over a railroad crossing in Pinal County, the agency has announced.
This allows the project to move forward when funding is available.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the environmental review process, giving the go-ahead to acquire right of way, complete design and begin construction, a news release said.
The estimated $55 million project is intended to alleviate traffic 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, the release said.
More than 40 trains run daily through the middle of Maricopa, which has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation, and future plans call for more than 100 trains to pass through the city daily.
ADOT has partnered with the Union Pacific Railroad, Federal Highway Administration and city of Maricopa for this project.
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.
