Arizona now has all the financial pieces in place to widen Interstate 10 between Chandler and Casa Grande thanks to a $95 million federal grant announced by state Democratic leaders on Monday.
The project has been a priority for many years, but funding its over $1 billion price tag hasn’t been easy to come by. State leaders planned on receiving a third of the cost in federal help , but concerns within the Biden administration about the project’s focus on freeway lanes and lack of other transit options left that grant in jeopardy.
So political and tribal leaders began a new grant process and pressure campaign on federal transportation officials, culminating in the announcement Monday that the final $95 million had been secured. The money is a federal transportation grant, albeit a different program than Arizona leaders had originally sought.
Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat who’s a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, credited the funding to a bipartisan effort from the state’s congressional delegation — whom he dubbed “team Arizona” — and an improved application from the Arizona Department of Transportation.