Republican U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake have introduced legislation to include the Sonoran Corridor in the interstate highway system.
A measure to authorize the proposed link between Interstates 10 and 19 was also introduced in the U.S. House by fellow Republican Rep. Martha McSally.
Getting the proposed interstate recognized in the federal system is the initial step needed before federal funding can be used to build new highways.
βYou have to be in the system to be eligible for funding,β said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
In February, McSally, McCain and Gov. Doug Ducey, along with county leaders, attended a groundbreaking event for relocating Hughes Access Road, now called Aerospace Parkway, which would eventually tie in to the proposed Sonoran Corridor.
Aerospace Parkway runs from Old Nogales Highway east to Alvernon Way, about half a mile south. Its realignment was proposed to facilitate potential expansions of Raytheon and the growth of other businesses in the area.
County leaders see the relocation of the road and the possibility of the Sonoran Corridor connecting the interstates as an economic development matter.
The proposed Sonoran Corridor lies near the confluence of rail, surface and air transportation systems.
Regional leaders believe the connecting highway would facilitate growth of defense, aerospace, logistics and distribution businesses like HomeGoods, which recently announced plans to build a regional distribution center near the airport.
βThe Sonoran Corridor project will have a significant impact on state, regional and national commerce by connecting major trade routes and improving transportation along the Canamex Corridor and the future Interstate 11,β McCain said in a news release.
The area also would be primed for industrial and commercial growth because the entire area south of the airport between Interstate 10 and 19 remains largely undeveloped.
βI have heard nothing but support from our members and the business community,β said Lea Marquez Peterson, president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
She said the proposed highway would not only help to ease traffic congestion on the interstates, but also facilitate trade with Mexico.
βIt adds an emphasis to the importance of trade between Mexico and Southern Arizona,β Marquez Peterson said.
Huckelberry said the environmental factors that often play into development in the region would be lessened in the area, noting it is less environmentally significant than other areas.
If the proposed interstate passes both the House and Senate, it would later be eligible for federal highway funding.
Huckelberry estimated the cost to build the 16-mile connection could run as high as $600 million, based on cost-per mile calculations as they stand today.
He said the county is committed to spending at least $30 million on the project, which was included in the seven-question bond package thatβs before voters in November.
βItβs becoming more of a shared investment with state, local and federal governments,β he said of how the proposed interstate would be paid for.
