It was still 115 degrees outside, so the group chose to meet in the air-conditioned lobby of Maricopa City Hall. 

Students, city officials and community leaders gathered with suitcases at the ready. Before the group filled cars and the 14-passenger Ride 347 bus, they filmed a video for social media. It was a last-minute pitch to rally community support.  

The group is heading to Payson, the Gila County town where the Arizona State Transportation Board will make its final decision tomorrow on whether to fund the long-sought widening of State Route 347. For Maricopans, it’s the last push in a yearslong effort to improve one of Arizona’s most dangerous and congested roadways.

The stakes 

There is a lot at stake. SR 347 is the sole major artery between Maricopa and the rest of the Phoenix metro area. The two-lane road carries more than 58,000 vehicles daily. It’s increasingly unsafe. The plan calls for expanding the highway to three lanes in each direction and eliminating three key traffic signals, including a grade separation at Riggs Road, one of the most hazardous intersections in the state.

“This road is a lifeline,” said Nicholas Sizemore, a student with the Be Awesome Youth Coalition, moments before departing City Hall for Payson. “It’s super congested. It’s unsafe. There are accidents all the time, and more often than not they result in serious injury or loss of life. We need to breathe life into it.” 

Tomorrow’s meeting in Payson offers three ways for residents to participate: in-person testimony, virtual comment via an online speaker card or joining a community watch party at Maricopa’s community center starting at 9 a.m. Officials hope strong turnout will send a message. 

“It says we care,” said Madeline Homan, one of the Maricopa residents headed north this afternoon. “This community is standing together for something that affects every family here.” 

If ADOT supports improvement, Pinal County promised to chip in $20 million.  

GRIC endorses with no time to spare 

This year’s push has a new and significant boost: the support of the Gila River Indian Community, through which the 14-mile stretch of SR 347 between Interstate 10 and Maricopa runs. 

In a letter sent late yesterday to the Arizona State Transportation Board and provided to InMaricopa, Gila River Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis urged state officials to prioritize funding for the corridor, calling it “critical” to safety and mobility.  

“We continue to experience accidents that have life-altering consequences and create constant delays for commuters,” Lewis wrote. “We encourage you to prioritize funding for this project so it can commence as soon as possible.” 

A short history of GRIC and SR 347  

The endorsement marks a major shift in the historically rocky relationship between the Gila River Indian Community and the Arizona Department of Transportation. That relationship hit a low in 2016 when the tribe unsuccessfully opposed the South Mountain Freeway project. In subsequent years, GRIC raised concerns about jurisdiction, sovereignty and a lack of meaningful consultation on projects affecting tribal land, including SR 347. 

In 2021, negotiations over SR 347 all but stalled. At the time, city officials believed the tribe was reluctant to support any improvements that didn’t include full environmental assessments and respect for tribal planning authority.  

“It’s been a challenge,” then-Mayor Christian Price told InMaricopa. “We need to be respectful of the community, but we also need progress.” 

But the tensions eased. By the spring of 2021, GRIC, ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments co-signed a letter to Arizona’s congressional delegation requesting federal infrastructure funding. The letter signaled a united front, for the first time in years. 

“The stars are aligning,” said then-MAG Executive Director Eric Anderson. 

“That letter is exactly what we had proposed three-and-a-half years ago to Gov. Lewis,” Price said. “They have major plans at Wild Horse Pass. Their best interests are now aligned with ours.” 

The proposed improvements to SR 347 are part of a broader roughly $250 million plan to upgrade infrastructure on the GRIC, including widening I-10 and redesigning interchanges. 

On the road again 

On the ground in Maricopa, that long history and the urgency of tomorrow’s meeting is deeply felt. 

“Improving the condition and functionality of roads such as SR 347 is not just fixing a road, it’s improving our way of life here,” said Mayor Nancy Smith. “It’s very important for every single resident of Maricopa.” 

As passengers settled in and the bus rumbled to life, Smith said she was hopeful the years of advocacy, data and now tribal partnership would finally bear fruit. 

“You never know. Politics can be unpredictable,” Smith said, “but I’m feeling really good about the trip. We’ve made our case. We’ve done the work. Now we just have to show up and push it across the line.”