The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently submitted an application for a Federal Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act grant.
The agency requested $300 million to expand Interstate 10 between Chandler and Casa Grande.
Grant award announcements will be sometime in the autumn. ADOT has contingencies prepared to maximize the use of available funding should the project not be awarded the grant.
The state appropriated $400 million to the project this month, and $290 million previously was budgeted.
“This project is essential for Arizona to enhance the safety and traffic capacity of I-10 with the added benefit of positively impacting our economy,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Commercial traffic on I-10 carries significant numbers of products and commodities, many of which are manufactured or produced right here in Arizona. These critical items reach every corner of the United States and internationally.”
ADOT, in cooperation with the Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments, is conducting an engineering and environmental study.
The project is expected to begin construction in 2023 and be completed in 2026. The first phase will be the expansion of the bridges that carry traffic over the Gila River.
The agency will hold a public hearing on the project in late summer.