To the editor,

It’s no surprise to any regular Maricopa commuter that State Route 347 has been ranked one of the most dangerous in the state highway system.

What is a surprise is that fixing it has been delayed — again. 

Since I was elected to the state legislature two years ago, bringing funds from the state budget to fix this road has been my number one infrastructure priority. I believe that all three lawmakers representing this district understand that all our roads — SR 347, Interstate 10, State Route 387 — need major improvements.

Personally, as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’ve worked each of the two years I’ve been in office to include Pinal County road funding in the budget. And during these two years, I have watched again and again as road funding gets pushed out of the budget.

This is a problem that’s been obvious to many of us for a long time. It’s not just a traffic problem, it’s a safety problem. The daily crashes and trips to the hospital are completely unacceptable, and the Arizona Department of Transportation understands that. In fact, they have plans for construction ready: They’re just missing the funding. Unfortunately, those funds were redirected elsewhere. 

In 2021, a year before I decided to run, the majority party passed a huge flat tax cut for the wealthy. It gave the highest earners enough of a tax break to buy a new Porsche every year, while everyone else barely got enough to buy a pizza. That high-earner tax break forced the rest of us to pick up the tab. It also wreaked havoc on the state’s finances, causing more than $2 billion to leave the state budget.

A year after that, the majority party passed an expansion of private school vouchers, a handout to wealthy families in Maricopa County who were already sending their kids to private schools. That program twisted the knife, costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars it didn’t have. 

As a result, the State of Arizona faced a billion-dollar budget deficit this year. State lawmakers were forced to make painful, across-the-board cuts to important programs to close it. Among the cuts made was SR 347: The new intersection planned for Riggs Road has been delayed for four more painful years, and widening is still completely unfunded. 

I’m proud to work with my colleagues from across the aisle on many issues, but we disagree on this one. We need to be responsible stewards of tax dollars. I do not support tax cuts that largely benefit the wealthiest earners while middle class families are struggling. I also don’t think taxpayers should be purchasing toys and dune buggies for superrich families at the cost of much-needed road infrastructure. 

I sincerely trust that my fellow lawmakers in Legislative District 16 want to see this road improved. I just wish they would think long term about the consequences of the budget policies they support. We can’t afford roads when we give tax breaks to the wealthiest or subsidize private schools. No amount of per-member pork-barrel spending can close gaps this big. 

In January, when the legislature reconvenes, we need new leadership at the head of both chambers who will get our priorities in order and finances in check. The SR 347 intersection project should be fully funded and on track, not delayed for four more years.  

Keith Seaman is a 40-year public school educator and currently serves as a state representative for Legislative District 16, which includes the city of Maricopa and much of Pinal County.