UPDATE Jan. 19 The victim in this crash has been identified.
UPDATE 9:24 a.m. Jan. 15 All State Route 347 lanes are now open.
ORIGINAL STORY 7:20 a.m. Jan. 15 A series of crashes have disrupted morning traffic in and out of Maricopa since 5 a.m., beginning with a reportedly fatal crash that shut down northbound lanes of State Route 347 north of Casa Blanca, authorities said.
The Arizona Department of Transportation said northbound SR 347 was closed because of a crash near Cement Plant Road. Drivers were urged to expect delays and use alternate routes. ADOT said there was no estimated time for the northbound lanes to reopen, and southbound lanes were not affected.
That case is being investigated by the Gila River Indian Community, said Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Kameron Lee. A motorcyclist died in the collision, according to witnesses, ADOT cameras appearing to show a body lying under a tarp in the road and media reports.
The re-routed detours to avoid that crash were also affected by secondary crashes.
A wreck involving a school bus was reported near Casa Blanca Road and Field Road on the Gila River Indian Community. Details on injuries and the number of people involved were not immediately available.
In yet another crash, the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway is blocked in both directions at Val Vista Road following a 7 a.m. collision involving three SUVs, according to a witness report. One vehicle was seen off the roadway, and a woman was seen on the ground crying and holding her head. The extent of injuries was not immediately known.
Commute times into the Valley are being reported at more than three hours.
Motorists were advised to avoid the affected areas and check for updated road conditions. ADOT’s real-time highway information is available at az511.gov, through the AZ511 mobile app, or by calling 511.
![Western Pinal Justice of the Peace Patricia Glover speaks during a City of Maricopa Republican Club on May 23, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/20260529-spencer-teeple-republican-club-1-4-300x200.jpg)
6 Responses
You might want to change that update to 9:24 AM instead of PM.
This is one for the record books. January 15th, crash day!
When will they add another road that leads to I-10? This is becoming ridiculous!!! I am a fed up Maricopan!!!
So, what’s your exit strategy? Might be money available if you want to exit the country!😁
If you think Thursday was a horrible day with 3 major 347 accidents and a fatality..sadly its about to get worse very soon. All those tens of thousands of homes recently permitted by our city officials to be built in Maricopa will soon have multiple drivers PER HOUSE commuting on 347. Picture that. To be just now in the planning stages of 347 improvements is way too little, way WAY too late. I pray every day that my husband gets to and from work alive.
At the very least ..how about getting more law enforcement pulling over the 100 mph speeders, those swerving in and out of lanes, those speeding around cars in the emergency lane..bikes illegally lane splitting, red light runners (especially at Riggs..I have personally witnessed cars smashing into and violently rear ending people who stopped for that light!).. and how about permanently taking licenses of drunk, drugged and aggressive angry drivers? With all these new homes and a huge tax base, the funds to hire more officers should be available. PLEASE make their presence felt.
Gila River Police and Governments needs to have all the non natives that live in Maricopa to pay to drive through our Reservation or stop them from driving through because they fly through our Reservation and plus they go over the buses that dropping our kids. They are so ridiculous and so heartless, I wish we as Gila River Tribal Members can do something about them non natives ourselves, we will start doing something about them that flying through our Reservation. Our police officers is are already giving out $1500 tickets for those that fly through Gila River and they are gonna start taking their vehicles away from them also and that came from our Council Leaders and Federal. So I hope our leaders pass the law for all Maricopa members pay to drive through our Reservation and soon.