The border town of San Luis has applied for $25 million in federal funding to refurbish a major road linking San Luis’ two ports of entry, a project backed by the Arizona senators.
The City of San Luis is rebuilding America’s infrastructure with sustainability and equity to upgrade five miles of road on Cesar Chavez Boulevard, the only east-west corridor that connects two ports of call in San Luis. I applied for a grant. It also provides access to highways in Arizona and his eight schools in Yuma County.
Letter to Pete ButtigiegU.S. Secretary of Transportation, Senators Kristen Cinema and Senators Mark Kelly urged Buttigieg to consider San Luis’ proposal.
Called the Cesar Chavez Boulevard Multimodal Improvements project, the project will expand the current two-lane road to a four-lane road, with shared use paths, sidewalks, signalized crosswalks, street lighting, bus bays, transit stops and shelters. Prepare. According to a press release from the cinema’s office.
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The project could also add bike lanes instead of driving for commuters in hopes of easing congestion. San Luis is a busy border crossing, with more than 2.3 million people crossing the border annually, according to the letter.
São Luis’ economic growth relies on cross-border trade and border crossings to support the agricultural industry, Cinema said, adding that the modernization of César Chavez Boulevard will create jobs and boost the economy.
Agriculture provides Yuma County with more than $3 billion annually, supplying 90% of the U.S. winter vegetable supply.
“Modernizing Cesar Chavez Boulevard will help people on both sides of the border access jobs and educational opportunities, and help improve the quality of life for impoverished communities,” the senator said. said in a letter.
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Grant funding comes from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $7.5 billion over the five years of the grant program. This year, the grant will spread his $1.5 million, half going to rural projects and half to urban areas.
“By fixing roads, bridges, and more, RAISE helps Arizona people visit their loved ones, go to school and work, and travel. Stronger,” said Cinema. She co-authored the bipartisan infrastructure law that provides her $350 billion for highway programs.
The project was originally estimated to cost $54.8 million, but inflation pushed the cost up to $61.6 million. Other funding sources for the project include his $33 million from the state legislature and his $1.2 million from Congress-directed spending under Senator Kelly’s office.
This is the third RAISE application that San Luis has filed for this project, after allocating $267 million to modernize the San Luis Port of Entry, increasing the number of entry lanes from 8 to 16 to 2. I plan on doubling it. The upgrade will increase traffic in the area, said Jenny Torres, assistant city manager for San Luis. Construction of the port will begin this summer and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2028.
“This will not only be a road of local impact, but a regional road connecting people going to the rest of the county,” Torres said.
Torres said the city’s application will be more competitive this year as funds have already been allocated for the project.
She added the importance of roads for commercial trucks that deliver products across borders and across the country.
“This is a project that will impact Arizona from a commerce standpoint,” she said.
Grant recipients will be announced by June 28th at the latest.
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