Site work and paving for a road / highway in Maricopa, Arizona. Conceptual plans call for site work for a road / highway; and for paving for a road / highway.

https://www.azfamily.com/2025/06/22/city-maricopa-celebrates-big-win-after-adot-approves-sr-347-expansion-plan/ MARICOPA, AZ (AZFamily) — Traffic troubles may soon be a thing of the past on SR 347 now that Arizona transportation officials approved a new expansion project. The city of Maricopa is calling this their “Super Bowl victory.” There were even watch parties for the livestream of Friday’s board meeting because improving the highway is the city’s number one issue. Tens of thousands of Arizona drivers and commuters take SR 347 every day, and it’s not always a pleasant experience. “Everybody here in Maricopa has a 347 story,” said Christian Mylek. He is part of the Be Awesome Youth Coalition. For people like Mylek who live in the city of Maricopa, the trek to the Valley can be dangerous. “I drive the 347, my brother drives the 347 and it’s scary,” said Mylek. Bad crashes often turn deadly. “You end up with thousands of accidents almost averaging one per day,” said Maricopa Mayor Nancy Smith. That’s why Smith is thrilled something is finally being done about it. “Yesterday was the best day of my life in the ten years of serving the city of Maricopa,” she said, talking about Friday’s state transportation board meeting. It was packed with local residents and regional leaders who all pushed for the project, and it worked. The expansion was approved and is now part of ADOT’s five-year construction plan. For years, funding gaps have been a roadblock in the fight to widen and improve the highway. Drivers use SR 347 at freeway speeds even though there are just two lanes in each direction and a handful of stoplights. About a month ago, the city council greenlit a half-cent sales tax to create a local funding source for the upgrades, which include adding a third lane, an overpass, and repaving the roads. “The city of Maricopa hasn’t raised sales tax since its existence, so pretty impressive,” she said. The city, Pinal and Maricopa counties, and the state contribute to the $350 million bill, but getting here has been a bumpy road. The push for change has taken more than a decade, and the congestion problem has only worsened in that time. “When we started this 14 years ago we might have been at about 30,000 people and we’ve grown quickly to 80,000 and projected to be at 100,000 in just a few years and so having this expansion is a huge, huge milestone,” said Smith. It’s a big win that marks step one in the journey to enhancing safety on the busy highway. “It means a lot especially as the younger drivers of Maricopa. It will be nice to see that change when we grow up, that it won’t be the same for our kids,” said Mylek. Smith said the work will likely be done in phases in the next few years. Right now, design plans are being finalized for certain dangerous intersections. However, throughout the rest of the process, city leaders will continue to play a big role. --------------------------------------------------------- County : Pinal Description : Design and construction pavement preservation Project Limits: SR 347 from N. of Lakeview Dr to I-10 milepost 175.7 to 189 (13.3 mile) Route : SR 347 As of July 9 , 2025, the project is in Conceptual status. Anticipated letting Year is 2026. AZDOT - W. Juan St. to I 10 - SR 347 *Project information has been obtained through a public state transportation improvement plan (STIP). A STIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the STIP often evolves based on funding availability. The project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.