Arizona transportation officials have approved a five-year, $11.3 billion construction program that outlines the state’s investments in roads, bridges and airports through fiscal 2031.
The Arizona State Transportation Board (ASTB) adopted the plan June 19 as state transportation agencies await congressional action on the next federal surface transportation authorization before current authorities expire Sept. 30.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year, roughly $580 billion reauthorization proposal that emphasizes formula funding and long-term planning certainty, while the Senate has yet to release its own legislation.
ENR previously reported that the House proposal would continue to emphasize formula funding while leaving a portion of authorized spending subject to future appropriations, leaving states to await final action from Congress.
ASTB President Ted Maxwell acknowledged the uncertainty about funding beyond the current federal authorization.
“One thing I want to say about the plan … you see a drop in 2029 … everybody panics, but one of the things to remember is we have no authorization for any federal funds,” Maxwell said before the board’s unanimous vote. “So those funds are not included in those years. As we see what happens with that, they should come back to a more consistent level.”
The plan includes about $6.95 billion for statewide transportation investments administered by ADOT, $3.56 billion for the Maricopa County Regional Transportation Plan highway program, nearly $620 million for the Pima County Regional Transportation Authority highway program and about $186 million for improvements at 67 public airports.
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Iqbal Hossain, deputy division director of ADOT’s Multimodal Planning Division, told board members that state and federal laws require the plan to remain fiscally constrained, with projects evaluated annually for inflation, project readiness and changing pavement and bridge conditions.
He said ADOT also uses “a risk-based approach,” prioritizing projects where delaying work could lead to “safety concerns, mobility issues or higher future costs.”
The adopted plan directs 78% of the available funding towards the preservation of existing infrastructure, 15% towards modernization projects and 7% towards the expansion of capacity.
ADOT estimates a $162.3 million gap between projected transportation needs and projected revenue over the next 25 years as fuel efficiency and electric vehicle adoption erode fuel tax collections, while Arizona’s gas tax has been unchanged since 1992.
Among the largest expansion projects are the widening of Interstate 17 north of Flagstaff, the reconstruction of a five-mile segment of SR 260 near Lion Springs to a four-lane divided highway, and the continuation of the four-lane widening of US 93 at Big Jim Wash in Yavapai County.
Much of the remaining investment targets pavement rehabilitation along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40, bridge rehabilitation and replacement, freight-related port of entry improvements and intelligent transportation system upgrades.
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David M. Martin, president of the Arizona chapter of the Associated General Contractors, said in an email to ENR that predictable long-term transportation funding allows contractors to “hire, invest in equipment and build the skilled workforce Arizona needs to keep pace with its growth.”
He added that additional long-term funding solutions remain necessary, warning that proposals to suspend or eliminate state or federal gas taxes “would significantly undermine the primary source of transportation funding and create uncertainty for the projects and jobs that Arizona depends on.”
ADOT said the five-year plan will continue to evolve as project schedules, costs and available funding change. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
