ADOT’s 2026-2030 plan emphasizes pavement and bridge investments
Contributed Article/Courtesy ADOT
PHOENIX – The State Transportation Board has approved the 2026-2030 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, which emphasizes pavement and bridge improvements, as well as expanding several key highways.
Approved at the board’s meeting Friday, June 20, in Payson, the $11.5 billion 2026-2030 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Program is available for review at azdot.gov/FiveYearProgram. It meets the Arizona Department of Transportation’s goal of investing $2.4 billion in the next five years to preserve, rehabilitate, and replace pavement and bridges on the state highway system.
Greenlee County is scheduled to have the least amount of work done out of all of Arizona’s counties, with only $5,900,000 in funding, including $5 million in 2030.
Graham County is scheduled to have the third least amount done, with nearly $26.3 million allocated. Of that, more than $20.7 million is expected in 2030 for pavement preservation on five miles of U.S. Highway 70, between Cottonwood Wash in Pima and Reay Lane in Thatcher.
For Greater Arizona, which encompasses areas beyond Maricopa and Pima Counties, the construction program emphasizes improving highway pavement and bridge infrastructure. These projects will enhance highway safety, efficiency, and functionality, including intersection improvements, updates to ports of entry and rest areas, the implementation of smart technologies, and the installation of new signals, signs, and shoulders.
Greater Arizona expansion projects in the program include:
- Widening I-17 from Sunset Point to SR 69 starting in fiscal year 2028
- Widening the Pinal County portion of State Route 347 between the City of Maricopa and Riggs Road, starting in fiscal year 2027
- Widening the Lion Springs section of State Route 260 east of Payson, starting in fiscal year 2026
- Widening US 93 north of Wickenburg along the Vista Royale segment starting in fiscal year 2026 and widening US 93 at Big Jim Wash between Wickenburg and Wikieup starting in fiscal year 2027
- Building an interim road connecting a new commercial port of entry facility planned in Douglas with State Route 80, starting in fiscal year 2026
In Pima County, the tentative five-year program lists projects including:
- Widening Interstate 10 from Kino Parkway to Country Club Road, which provides for building a new interchange at I-10 and Country Club Road and reconstructing the Kino Parkway interchange, starting this month
- I-10 from Alvernon Way to Valencia Road starting in fiscal year 2028
- Improving the I-10 interchanges at Park Avenue in fiscal year 2028 and Sixth Avenue in fiscal year 2029
- Reconstructing the I-19 interchange at Irvington Road starting in fiscal year 2026
In Maricopa County, the tentative five-year program lists expansion projects planned in conjunction with the Maricopa Association of Governments, including:
- Widening Loop 303 from Lake Pleasant Parkway to 51st Avenue and improving the I-17/Loop 303 interchange starting in fiscal year 2026
- Constructing State Route 30 from 97th Avenue to 71st Avenue starting in fiscal year 2030
- Widening State Route 24 between Loop 202 and Ironwood Road in the Southeast Valley, starting in fiscal year 2030
Both the Maricopa and Pima county regions have dedicated, voter-approved sales taxes for transportation that fund expansion projects.
The five-year program includes $135 million for the Airport Capital Improvement Program, which provides funding in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration for projects to design and construct safety, security, and capacity enhancements, as well as prepare various plans and studies. The funding will also support improvements at Grand Canyon National Park Airport, which ADOT operates.
Funding for the overall statewide five-year construction program comes from federal and state dollars, as well as money generated by users of transportation services in Arizona, primarily through gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, the Arizona vehicle license tax, and various aviation taxes.
ADOT’s five-year program is developed in close collaboration with local governments, regional transportation planning organizations, and Indian Tribal Communities to prioritize projects that are ready for construction or design.
