Arizona lost out on a federal grant to widen Interstate 10 from Chandler to Casa Grande.

 Ron Medvescek, Arizona Daily Star

Arizona taxpayers could have to shell out another $360 million if they want smoother car and truck traffic between Tucson and Phoenix.

Sen. T.J. Shope said Thursday he is preparing legislation to have the state provide that money after the federal government rejected a grant request to widen a section of Interstate 10.

Using the funds the state has in its coffers would ensure the project is built, the Coolidge Republican said. That’s justified, he said, given the number of Arizonans affected by the fact that a 26-mile stretch is now just two lanes in each direction.

But Shope said his measure will be written with a sweetener for his colleagues, who might otherwise balk at ponying up more cash after voting just last year to spend $400 million on the project.

The dollars the state puts up would go back into the treasury β€” where they could be used for other priorities β€” if and when some new source of federal money could be found, Shope said.

Having the state front the funds while making another bid for a federal grant makes sense, said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland.

β€œBut we need to start moving on it now,’’ he said of the construction project. β€œWe can’t wait for us to get all the money and begin the process.’’

Not β€˜green’ enough?

Arizona’s bid for a share of National Infrastructure Project Assistance was rejected by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What appears to have happened, Shope said, is federal highway officials were more interested in funding what he called β€œgreen transportation’’ for this round of grants. That might include alternatives to driving, such as bikeways.

β€œIf we were talking about a central Phoenix or central Tucson project, it obviously would have been more helpful,’’ he said, versus β€œa 26-mile stretch in the middle of the desert.’’

Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, was more blunt in her comments.

β€œTo not fund an interstate because it does not have bike paths, because it doesn’t have a trail? That’s ridiculous,’’ Martinez said. β€œIf the Biden administration thinks that the I-10 interstate is not as important as a bike path, I think they have misjudged the situation.’’

But it’s not clear that Arizona lost out because its proposal wasn’t β€œgreen enough.’’

Information provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., shows that of the nine grants funded this year, five were interstate expansion projects. And two were for widening stretches of I-10, one in California and the other in Louisiana.

It may also be that Arizona’s request was too large.

The California grant was for $60 million and Louisiana got $150 million. There was $1.1 billion available this year.

Due for 2026 completion

It’s not known whether the rejection of Arizona’s portion will delay the scheduled 2026 completion of the project.

The Arizona Department of Transportation isn’t saying much. The department has not received official notification of the status of its grand application, said spokesman Luis Lopez.

The state has been widening sections of the interstate for years. But the last section has been an issue.

Shope said one reason is that the stretch, from Queen Creek Road on the edge of Chandler to State Route 287 outside of Casa Grande, runs through the Gila River Indian Community.

Tribal officials have some residual bad feelings that they didn’t have any say when I-10 was cut through the reservation, Shope said. But now, he said, Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the community, has been a participant.

Last year’s $400 million appropriation had little trouble getting enacted, with a 27-1 vote in the Arizona Senate and 55-1 in the House, as the state was flush with cash.

That was the result of a 17% increase in revenues in the 2022 fiscal year. But legislative budget staffers predict that will moderate to 6% this year β€” and just 2% the year after that.

But Shope said he hopes to convince colleagues this isn’t just a Pinal County problem.

He said probably half of the residents of the Casa Grande area with jobs drive daily into Maricopa County. β€œWhen they do that, they drop their sales tax dollars into Maricopa County,’’ Shope said.

He also figures the freeway links the three most populous counties in the state, where more than three-quarters of the residents live. Martinez noted the interstate is used by more than just Pinal County residents.

There’s the commerce aspect. β€œIf people in Maricopa want their Amazon packages or groceries in the grocery store, Interstate 10 doesn’t just benefit people in Pinal County,’’ she said.

Kelly also highlights the project’s importance.

β€œArizonans rely on the I-10 to connect them to jobs, educational opportunities and their families, which is why improving and expanding this highway is still a top priority for me,’’ he said in a prepared statement.

Shope’s plan of guaranteeing a refund to state taxpayers if a federal grant comes through is based on the premise that Arizona will have more success the second time around.

β€œI hope so,’’ McFarland said. β€œI think we’ll learn from the first one. And, hopefully, we’ll get some feedback from the feds as to what we may have not done right in the first application.’’

McFarland also called it β€œpretty normal’’ for applicants not to get federal grants the first time they ask.

An aide to Kelly said the senator is waiting for state officials to be briefed β€œon why projects were or were not funded this year’’ to figure out how to move the application forward.

Shope said it may help that newly elected U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a Tucson Republican, was placed on the House Appropriations Committee. β€œI think that’s a very good thing,’’ he said.

Congestion to get worse

Shope also said he understands if the feds are looking to fund alternatives for transit aside from more pavement.

β€œI don’t believe that just the three lanes (in each direction) alone is going to solve the long-term problem that this is going to be,’’ he said.

He said the problem is going to grow beyond the current rush-hour pattern, with heavy northbound traffic in the morning and the reverse in the evening.

For example, he said Lucid Motors, now operating in Casa Grande, already has upwards of 5,000 employees, and many are driving in from the Southeast Valley of Maricopa County.

β€œYou’re going to have the same situation with Nikola,’’ he said, which is expanding its truck manufacturing operation in Coolidge. He also noted that Proctor & Gamble selected Coolidge as the location for its next manufacturing plant.

β€œSo you’re going to have cross traffic going either way, as opposed to just directional,’’ Shope said.

Safety Corridors are highway segments that have more crashes, injuries and deaths than would ordinarily be expected.

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Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com.