Arizona’s Senate Appropriations Committee approved today a bill to fast-track funding for the Riggs Road overpass on State Route 347.

The committee approved 8-1 Sen. T.J. Shope’s (R-Coolidge) Senate Bill 1617, which requests the $49 million set aside for the overpass be used during the next fiscal year instead of 2028. He hoped the move would help “make life easier for everyone in Maricopa.”

And while Shope wasn’t present for the vote, several Maricopa residents and politicians were, including Mayor Nancy Smith who talked about the dangerous nature of the state highway.

Sen. Vince Leach (R-Saddlebrooke) echoed a need to prioritize safety, stating, “It’s a very, very dangerous road.”

Other senators spoke in favor of approving the bill, including David Farnsworth (R-Mesa), who said, “Money is not spent better than money that’s spent on infrastructure.”

And Sen. John Kavanaugh (R-Fountain Hills) said the bill is worth passing “just to stop the emails.”

Sen. Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) was the lone no vote, stating that she was concerned that if the overpass funding were to “leapfrog ahead,” the Arizona Department of Transportation could push back other infrastructure projects already lined up in its five-year plan.