The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new connection on State Route 189.
The appropriated $25 million for the project and ADOT received a $25 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant. The funding allowed ADOT to complete the project in one phase instead of two. Construction began in May 2020, two years ahead of schedule.
Work included multipurpose lanes and two new ramps on a 3.75-mile stretch of SR 189 connecting the Mariposa Port of Entry with Interstate 19. This eliminates the need for commercial trucks to stop multiple times between the international border and the highway.
“SR 189 is a critical route for international trade with Mexico, tying directly to a key commerce corridor,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said at the event. “This project will benefit North American trade and tourism while making Mariposa Road safer for drivers and the community. We also look forward to enhancing the system of ports of entry along our southern border, with upcoming projects in San Luis and Douglas.”
The Mariposa Port of Entry is among the busiest in the United States. In 2021, nearly 370,000 northbound trucks crossed the border at Nogales, Mexico, carrying nearly $30 billion in goods.