Arizona taxpayers could have to pay an additional $360 million if they want to facilitate car and truck traffic between Tucson and Phoenix.

Senator TJ Shape (R-Coolidge) said last week he was preparing a bill to force states to provide that cash after their request for federal aid to expand a section of Interstate 10 was denied. I was.

He said using the funds the state already has will ensure completion of the project, an Arizonan affected by the fact that the 26-mile stretch is currently just two lanes in each direction. He said this was justified given the number of

Congress allocated $400 million for expansion projects last year.

Schop said his measures would be sweeter to colleagues who might otherwise be hesitant to pay the extra cash.

Once a federal source of funding is found, the state pooled funds will be returned to the national coffers for other priorities, he said.

Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland said giving the money to the state fits the scenario with another bid for the grant.

“But we need to start it now,” he said of the project. “I can’t wait to get all the money and start the process.”

Arizona’s bid for part of the National Infrastructure Project Assistance has been rejected.

What appears to have happened, according to Schop, is that federal highway officials are more interested in funding this round of subsidies for what he called “green transportation.” It means that This may include things like alternatives to driving, such as bike paths.

“If we were talking about a project in the center of Phoenix or the center of Tucson, it would have definitely been more helpful than a 26-mile stretch in the middle of the desert,” he said.

Rep. Teresa Martinez of R-Casa Grande has commented bluntly on why the state lost federal money.

“Why don’t we fund interstates because there are no bike paths? Because there are no tracks?” she asked.

“It’s ridiculous,” Martinez said. “If the Biden administration thinks Interstate 10 is not as important as the bike path, I think they are misreading the situation.”

However, it is not clear that Arizona lost because its proposal was not “environmentally friendly.”

Of the nine grants funded this year, five were for interstate expansion projects, according to information provided by Senator Mark Kelly’s office. Two were actually extensions of Interstate 10, one in California and one in Louisiana.

Maybe the Arizona ask was too big.

California’s grant was $60 million and Louisiana’s was $150 million. And this year he only had $1.1 billion available.

It’s less clear whether a denial by the U.S. Department of Transportation will delay the project’s planned 2026 completion, and whether Shoppe will be able to convince his colleagues to point him in the extra dollars.

The Arizona Department of Transportation doesn’t say much. Spokesman Luis Lopez said his institution had not received any official notification of the status of the grant application.

The state has expanded a portion of the interstate highway that stretches from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. But the last section was a problem.

Shope, who sponsored last year’s $400 million budget, was concerned with the fact that the section from Queen Creek Road at the end of Chandler to State Route 287 outside Casa Grande runs through the Gila River Indian community. He said he does.

He said there was a residual bad feeling from the tribe who felt they had no say when I-10 was cut off the reservation. Governor Stephen Law Lewis is participating.

Last year’s $400 million appropriations bill passed the Senate 27-1 and the House 55-1 with little trouble.

This is the result of a 17% increase in revenue in 2022. But legislative budget officials expect him to be down to 6% this year and just 2% next year.

But Shope said he wants to convince his colleagues that this is not just Pinal County’s problem.

He said perhaps half of the Casagrande area residents who work drive to Maricopa County every day.

Kelly said they share views on the importance of the project.

“Arizonans use I-10 to connect them with jobs, educational opportunities, and family, so improving and expanding this highway remains a top priority for me.”

The guarantee of taxpayer reimbursement if federal aid materializes is based on the premise that Arizona will succeed a second time.

“I hope so,” said McFarland.

“I think we learn from the first one,” he continued. “And hopefully we get some feedback from the federal government on what went wrong in the original application.”

McFarland also says it’s “normal” for applicants to not receive a grant when they first apply for federal grants.

Kelly’s aide said senators are waiting for state officials to be briefed on “why the project was or wasn’t funded this year” and figure out how to move the grant forward. Said there was

Mr. Shope said Arizona could be doing something different to get federal money. Newly elected Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-Arizona) was placed on the House Appropriations Committee.

Shoppe also said he understands whether the federal government is looking to fund transportation other than increasing pavement.

“I don’t think just three lanes[in each direction]will solve this long-term problem,” he said. Part of that, Shope said, is the fact that there will be more northbound traffic in the morning and the opposite direction in the evening, even more so than the current rush hour pattern.

For example, Lucid Motors, which now operates out of Casa Grande, already has more than 5,000 employees, he said. Shope said many people drive in from the southeastern valleys of Maricopa County.

“We’re going to be in the same situation as Nicola,” he said, who is expanding his truck-building business in Coolidge. pointed out.

But so far, Arizona’s intercity railroad is more than research.