The funding for State Route 347 just keeps adding up (with virtually no thanks to Democrats).

After Senate Bill 1617 was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and the city of Maricopa proposed a half-penny sales tax, good news emerged that House Bill 2557 also advanced in the state legislature Tuesday.

The short but exceptionally sweet bill appropriates more than $16.2 million from the state general fund to the Arizona Department of Transportation for widening and improvement projects on SR 347 beginning in fiscal year 2025-26.

The House Appropriations Committee approved 12-0-5 Rep. Chris Lopez’s (R-Casa Grande) HB 2557, putting a nice dent in the estimated $143 million project to widen the Pinal County portion of the highway.

All five abstentions came from Democrats, whereas all 11 Republicans on the committee supported improving SR 347. Rep. Kevin Volk (D-Tucson) broke away from the other Democrats in supporting the measure.

He was the only Democrat on the committee to vote yes.

During the meeting, Rep. Julie Willoughby (R-Chandler) spoke for the winning coalition, tagging the improvements as “overdue and very necessary.” 

Chairman Rep. David Livingston (R-Peoria) identified SR 347 as “one of the top two projects of the whole state of Arizona based on volume of traffic.” 

He also criticized ADOT for not providing more information on the funding and project timeline so the committee could make informed votes.  

“Our own agencies need to respond faster to our own committees here,” he said. 

The widening project is currently in the design phase and parts of the roadway are expected to be ready for construction advertisement by the end of the year, according to ADOT. 

Maricopa’s legislators were elated.  

“It was an honor to champion this bill and advocate for such a critical infrastructure project,” Lopez told InMaricopa.  

He cited the estimated 56,000 vehicles that travel SR 347 daily as a reason the project is “not just a priority but a necessity.” 

“With only one way in and one way out, we must take action to protect the families who rely on this route every day,” he said. 

Lopez’s co-sponsor and fellow SR 347 advocate Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) said she was “thrilled” with the news.  

“The 347 is our top priority and I am so excited to see it move through the process,” she told InMaricopa. “Rep. Lopez has worked very hard for this money, and I know the three of us [Sen. T.J. Shope, too] will continue to work together to make this happen.”