Pinal County and many of our communities are once again leading Arizona in population growth, increasing living wage employment, and becoming a leader in economic prosperity.
To maintain the engine of economic development and ensure a safe and reliable transportation network, Pinal County leaders put forward a 0.5-cent transportation tax, Proposition 469, in a November ballot.
If voters approve the proposal, it will fund a 20-year series of transportation projects, including the much-needed expansion of California State Route 347.
Maricopa is a great place to live, but traffic congestion on Route 347 severely impacts our quality of life and makes it difficult to build a healthy and sustainable economy. People who have devastated family members and loved ones.
To recap where we were in 2017, when this was previously voted on, our roads were becoming less safe, more fatalities and severe congestion. Aid from the government was almost non-existent.
The Arizona Department of Transportation was severely underfunded and essentially in maintenance mode. Congress was incompetent and could not rely on federal representatives to advance local projects.
Today, we still face many of these same problems and lost five years that could have been used to design and build a series of important road improvements.
Pinal County is at a crossroads. Our roads have not kept up with our growth. First responders need reliable roads. We need safe and viable transportation systems that will extend our prosperity into the next decades.
Waiting makes the roads less safe and multiplies the time you spend on already heavily congested roads.Please refer to Map with full list of proposed transport improvements.
In summary, the good news is that the transportation plan approved by voters in 2017 is the official approved plan to improve the road network for the next 20 years.
The question before voters do you support Proposition 469, a 0.5 cent transportation sales tax to fund that transportation plan?
My answer is yes.
Anthony Smith is the former Mayor of Maricopa and a former member of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.
