Maricopa and Pinal County leaders lined the stage at Province’s Village Center on Thursday night, offering their two cents on topics ranging from new businesses and crime to apartments.
But one subject kept resurfacing throughout the evening. Any guesses?
If you guessed State Route 347, congrats.
The highway was mentioned at least 45 times during the event (yes, we counted). That included an overview of how SR 347 finally secured funding and a place in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s five-year construction plan.
Mayor Nancy Smith joked that the 347 was her “love language” as she again emphasized the importance of its inclusion in the plan.
Councilmember Eric Goettl noted that while SR 347’s deficiencies are clear, they don’t meet the legal threshold for a building moratorium because the highway lies outside city control.
Councilmember Amber Liermann and Supervisor Rich Vitiello discussed increased enforcement on the state road, while Police Chief Mark Goodman spoke about being tasked with creating an emergency response plan for incidents on SR 347.
“She asked if we could develop a plan for responding to major incidents on the 347 — most commonly collisions, but sometimes a big rig will spill its load or something like that,” Goodman said of Liermann’s request. “So, they’ll have to close the lanes.”
He said that plan will be unveiled later this year.
Some new information also emerged.
Councilmember Vince Manfredi announced that the Arizona Department of Transportation has assigned the same team that managed the Broadway Curve project to oversee SR 347’s 14 miles of widening and improvements.
“The good news is that ADOT has assigned the Broadway Curve team to the 347 now,” Manfredi said. “The good news is the team kept it on track, on time and under budget.”
That project widened 11 miles of Interstate 10 from Chandler Boulevard to the I-17 split, added collector-distributor roads, sound walls and new bridges, and cost about $800 million. Funded in part by a half-cent transportation tax approved by voters in 2004, it wrapped up in early June — just under four years after construction began.
Manfredi said what impressed him most about that effort was “the communication that came from it.”
Throughout the Broadway Curve project, ADOT provided frequent updates on social media about closures and milestones and held weekly debriefs with local stakeholders, according to Deputy State Engineer Robert Samour on ADOT’s podcast.
“They made sure communication was integral to the program, into the process,” Manfredi said. “They will be part of the 347 plan.”
Vince Manfredi is an owner of InMaricopa.
