By Andy Howell | Pinal Central
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussion purposes only.)
Last week was a deadly one in the so-called “Safety Corridor” along Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Chandler. Five people lost their lives in three separate crashes along the stretch of freeway across the Gila River Indian Community.
This week staff from the Governor’s Strategic Planning and Budgeting Office braved the deadly stretch of highway to journey down to Casa Grande from the Capitol to answer questions about Gov. Doug Ducey’s proposed budget.
But when Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland asked about the potential expansion of the last stretch of I-10 from two lanes to three lanes each way, he got the response that the funds allocated to improve the Gila River Bridge will stimulate the prospect for federal funding to widen the rest of the interstate.
That’s it.