A $54 million federal grant could go a long way to easing the headaches of driving between Tucson and Phoenix.
Two sections of Interstate 10 between Tucson and Casa Grande are to be widened to three lanes in each direction from two in each direction over the next few years, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
The grant will help the Arizona Department of Transportation finally make the busy corridor wider and safer for commuters and commercial traffic, said John Halikowski, the agency’s director.
“This is a major step forward as ADOT continually works to improve the I-10 corridor between Phoenix and Tucson,” Halikowski said. “It’s a highway that is vital to freight traffic and the need to keep Arizona competitive by accommodating daily business and travel needs.”
However, a 27-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between the Loop 202 south to where Arizona 387 intersects with the interstate near Casa Grande will not be widened to three lanes. And that project also is not in ADOT’s adopted five-year plan.
Still, widening Interstate 10 remains a priority and the state agency is discussing plans to improve the corridor with the Gila River Indian Community, said Steve Elliott, an ADOT spokesman.
The I-10 corridor between Tucson and Phoenix carries as many as 120,000 vehicles per day.
The project will cost a total of $157.5 million. ADOT is required to provide the remaining $103.5 million for the project through matching funds. The current state budget includes $30 million for the I-10 widening projects.
Specifics include widening 4 miles in the Picacho area to three lanes in each direction and building a new interchange with Arizona 87 near Eloy.
Four miles between Interstate 8 and Earley Road also will be expanded to three lanes in each direction, along with upgrading ramps at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard near Casa Grande.
The project will also install remote sensors to provide early warning of approaching dust storms.
U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said she heard from community leaders, workers and families about the traffic bottlenecks caused by the two-lane stretches of Interstate 10.
“This is a big win for communities across Pinal County and for our southern Arizona economy,” Kirkpatrick said.
