The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a letter of support yesterday for improvements to State Route 347, pledging up to $20 million for the project. District 1 Supervisor Rich Vitiello championed the measure, which aims to convince the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to include the crucial corridor in their five-year plan.
“This has been a long-term hard fought to get this road approved and Pinal County has stepped up,” Vitiello said during the meeting.
The letter, addressed to Arizona State Transportation Board Chairwoman Jenn Daniels, emphasizes the urgent safety concerns along the corridor. It describes SR 347 as “a crucial corridor that connects to Interstate 10, facilitating travel between the City of Maricopa and the Phoenix metro area.” The letter highlights how “inadequate infrastructure on this essential highway has increasingly affected the region negatively, resulting in safety concerns and congestion along the corridor.”
Vitiello, elected to represent District 1 which encompasses Maricopa and surrounding areas including parts of Coolidge, San Tan, Queen Creek, and the Gila River and Ak-Chin reservations, has personal reasons for advocating for the project.
“I have a dear friend who was in a major accident nine years ago on this road,” Vitiello explained during the meeting. “It’s not just fixing a road, it’s saving lives.”
Maricopa Mayor Nancy Smith and Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr attended the meeting to show support for the measure. Smith told supervisors that approximately 58,000 vehicles travel on SR 347 daily, exceeding traffic at many intersections along I-10 and I-17. According to Smith, two of the most dangerous intersections in the western United States are located on SR 347.
“It’s a significant amount of vehicles that travel that road every day,” Smith said.
State Route 347, also known as John Wayne Parkway, stretches nearly 29 miles from SR 84 near Stanfield, through Maricopa, to Interstate 10 south of Chandler. Much of the highway passes through the Gila River Indian Community. Originally built in the late 1930s on an old Phoenix-Maricopa Railroad right of way, the road became a state highway in 1997.
The safety challenges on SR 347 are substantial. According to data from the 347-Facts website, which cites information obtained through public records requests, over 2,500 accidents have occurred on SR 347 in the past decade, including more than 80 fatal or serious injury accidents, highlighting the critical need for these improvements.
ADOT has already begun addressing safety issues based on a 2023 Road Safety Assessment. These include restriping to add or extend turn lanes at key intersections, new traffic signs, signal improvements, and emergency vehicle access points.
A major component of the planned improvements is a new interchange at Riggs Road, where SR 347 will travel over Riggs Road on a bridge. This project aims to enhance safety and improve traffic flow at one of the corridor’s most problematic intersections. ADOT announced the final design for this interchange last month, and it’s expected to be ready for construction by early 2026.
The current Pinal County portion of SR 347 remains unfunded, which prompted yesterday’s vote. The Board’s pledge of up to $20 million aims to move the project forward by demonstrating local commitment to the improvements.
The funding would join contributions from multiple partners, including the Maricopa Association of Governments, Maricopa County, the Gila River Indian Community, and the city of Maricopa.
“This road is personal to a lot of us,” Vitiello said, acknowledging the efforts of past and present local officials who have advocated for improvements to SR 347.
Councilmember Knorr pointed out that the improvements would benefit residents beyond Maricopa. “This really is a regional solution to traffic problems for those that live in Casa Grande,” she said. “They’re very aware that when the I-10 shuts down and they’re trying to get into Phoenix, they get to come through Maricopa on the state route 347, which we were just reminded of on Monday when they shut down the I-10.”
