The first phase of the Pinal County Road Project on the Hunt Highway commenced today. Work could last until early August and may include alternating lane closures and sign manipulation.

In the first phase, new left turn lanes will be constructed on the southbound Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road, and temporary traffic lights will be installed at the intersections.

“When someone tries to turn left, if you’re heading south toward Arizona Farms, you back everyone up,” said Charles Williams, project manager for the Pinal County Public Works Department. of traffic can be pushed back,” he said. “This should definitely help alleviate that problem, especially in the morning as well as the evening rush hour.”

Phase 2 includes paving work on Hunt Highway from Magma Road to Oasis Lane and Arizona Farms Road from Hunt Highway to just west of Attaway Road.

“We will be doing asphalt overlays, slurry seals and new striping work,” Williams said. “We will be doing some work to make Arizona Farms Road smoother and safer from Hunt Highway to the county line, which is basically just west of Attaway.”

The project is funded by the county’s 0.5 cent sales tax.

“We have listened to the public and we drive these roads ourselves, so we know there are problems,” Williams said. “In addition to assisting with rush hour backup, we hope that this payment security work will fix some of the potholes and make Hunt Highway run smoother.”