MARICOPA, AZ — After many bumps in the funding road, there's new hope that the much-maligned State Route 347 will finally be widened from the I-10 to the City of Maricopa.
"That motion carries," Mayor Nancy Smith said at a May 6 city council meeting, after Maricopa council members unanimously approved a new half-cent sales tax in the city to raise funding for the SR 347 widening project.
“I’ve served on council 10 years, two and a half years as mayor; this to me was the most exciting meeting last night," Mayor Smith said.
The council did not do it alone. A big community push also put the sales tax through, notably the group behind the website 347facts.com.
“It’s a small amount to pay to get such a big thing done," Sharon Walker said.
The website pulls data from the Arizona Department of Transportation, which shows how often crashes happen on SR 347 and how many deaths have occurred on the road in the last decade. The website also has an automatic form that sends emails to state leaders, including Governor Katie Hobbs and ADOT leadership, with people's concerns about SR 347.
“We had about 1,200 citizens respond, generating about 120,000 emails in total," Ron Angerame said.
Mayor Smith says they hope to generate around $8 million a year from the tax, which will charge people one cent for every $2 spent in the city. Essentials like gas and groceries are not included in the tax.
Getting the sales tax approved was just half the battle, as now the city will look to ADOT to bridge the rest of the funding gap.
“We need them to put 347, funded, on that five-year plan," Mayor Smith said. “If a community can come up with matching funds, it moves the project up in priority.”
The ADOT five-year program has over $12 billion in funding to be allocated for projects through 2030. Public comment for the plan ends this month, and the full list will be released June 20.
Angerame hopes their hard work not just pays off, but saves lives.
“If we don’t get the $50 million to ADOT, this road will never get changed, that’s just the ugly reality of it," Angerame said. "No one likes a tax, but driving 347 is worse.”
A list of ongoing 347 improvement projects and their timelines can be seen here.