MARICOPA, AZ — The Maricopa City Council unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with Pinal County on October 7 that formalizes a $50 million local contribution for widening the Pinal County portion of State Route 347. The local funds, combined with state funding from the Arizona Department of Transportation, bring about $400 million to the corridor for the long-awaited highway expansion from Interstate 10 to the city’s northern boundary.
The agreement positions the City of Maricopa as the fiscal agent to pass Pinal County’s $20 million contribution to ADOT. Combined with Maricopa’s $30 million commitment, the $50 million local package secured the project’s spot on the state’s five-year transportation plan.
The Agreement Details
Under the intergovernmental agreement, Pinal County will remit a single payment of $20 million to the city by May 1, 2026. The city will then transfer those funds to ADOT as part of the larger local contribution package for the Pinal County portion of SR-347.
The county bears no additional financial obligations beyond this payment. The city’s role extends only to receiving and forwarding the county contribution to the state, as ADOT will design and construct the project.
How $50 Million in Local Funding Secured State Priority
City Manager Benjamin Bitter explained that local contributions proved essential to getting SR-347 onto ADOT’s five-year transportation plan. ADOT policies give higher priority to projects with local financial backing.
“ADOT has specific policies that state if there are local contributions, those projects will receive a higher priority on the list in terms of consideration for inclusion on that five-year plan,” Bitter told the council.
Mayor Nancy Smith said the city’s $30 million commitment had ADOT considering the project. But Pinal County’s $20 million contribution was what ultimately secured state approval.
“It pushed it over the line,” Smith said. “I just can’t say it enough because people don’t understand how important it was. We would not be here if it wasn’t for this.”
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved a letter of support on March 19, 2025, committing to contribute if the project made it onto the state’s five-year plan. District 1 Supervisor Rich Vitiello championed the board’s unanimous approval of the $20 million pledge. The city signed its agreement with ADOT on May 6, 2025, committing to provide the $50 million local contribution.
On June 20, 2025, the Arizona State Transportation Board added the project to its FY2026-2030 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for construction in fiscal year 2026-2027. Later that month, the Arizona State budget included full funding for the SR-347 corridor.
Councilmember Vincent Manfredi noted the effort spanned multiple years. “The hard work that we put in, even when Rich was still on City Council and we were meeting with the county and essentially demanding money for the 347, so it goes back many years,” he said.
Construction Timeline
With the intergovernmental agreements now in place and funding secured, ADOT plans to begin construction in fiscal year 2026-2027. The project addresses safety concerns and congestion along SR-347, which serves as a crucial corridor connecting Maricopa to Interstate 10 and the Phoenix metropolitan area.
