It was standing room only at last night’s meeting about State Route 347 improvements.

More than 200 residents showed up to the Arizona Department of Transportation meeting to learn more about planned improvements to Maricopa’s infamous highway.

Cobblestone Farms resident K.C. Youngdale was one of those attendees.

“We’re just here to learn more about everything,” she said. “You read this, you read that, and everybody has their own opinion. I wanted to see the plans for myself.”

Her husband Jeff was encouraged by those plans.

“They seem like good ideas,” he said.

You’ve got options

Corridor Manager Trent Kelso said ADOT plans to get cracking on SR 347 improvements over the next few years in response to a 2022 Maricopa Association of Governments study.

The study “concluded without improvements, the future traffic volumes on State Route 347 will exceed the existing roadway capacity, resulting in unacceptable and failing operations,” Kelso said. “In other words, traffic backups and extreme congestion.”

Those recommended improvements have been discussed for years: widening the road by one lane in each direction and converting the Riggs Road intersection into a traffic interchange, as well as improving four other intersections for better traffic flow.

The community needs to submit input on their preferred options by Aug. 29, Kelso said. So far, the department has received more than 700 public comments, which he said offered “valuable input to help determine community and public preferences.”

Kelso presented two diamond interchange options for Riggs Road to allow SR 347 traffic to flow uninterrupted — either a bridge would be built over the highway or the highway itself would become a bridge crossing over Riggs Road.

Intersection improvement ideas for Casa Blanca Road, Mammoth Way, Borgia Road and Old Maricopa Road include longer turn lanes and adding acceleration lanes.

Repping Maricopa

Maricopa’s State Reps. Teresa Martinez (R) and Keith Seaman (D), who both serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said they were happy to see a huge crowd at the meeting.

“The attendance here tonight shows how important this project is to all of us,” Seaman said.

Martinez agreed.

“I think it was important that everybody showed up and gave ADOT a piece of their mind,” she said. “We have to keep the pressure on ADOT, they have to know that we’re mad and that we expect them to do their job.”

Both lawmakers have spent time advocating for the transportation department to prioritize the highway and those efforts have paid off. Martinez said SR 347 not only was added to ADOT’s five-year plan, but it is currently among the department’s top projects.

That road “is literally the third most important road because we’re so passionate about it,” she said. “[Interstate]-10 is number one, followed by State Route 93 in Mohave County.”

Seaman added that he hopes continued pressure helps keep the road a priority.

“It should be on time and fully funded, not delayed for four more years,” Seaman said. “The state needs to get its finances and priorities in order so we can fix our infrastructure.”

Sound off to ADOT

The state transportation department will accept comments on the suggested improvements through Aug. 29 in the following ways:

• Online Comment Form: gov/SR347Comment
• Phone: 855-712-8530
• Email: Kimberly Larson at [email protected]
• Mail: ADOT Community Relations, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007