Remember when we told you EV charging stations were coming to State Route 347?

Yeah, we barely remembered, too — until the Arizona Department of Transportation dropped a news release this afternoon that jolted those ohm-on-the-range dreams back to life.

The agency is seeking feedback on new EV charging corridors across Arizona. We experienced a little electric shock to see SR 347 not listed.

Not to worry, says ADOT spokesperson Steve Elliott.

“SR 347 is already part of the plan, added in 2023,” he told InMaricopa this afternoon.  

“The process to solicit and award contracts for new and upgraded charging stations … including those on 347, is expected to begin later this year,” Elliott said.

The exact spot is up to the contractor, but the 2023 deployment plan showed Smith-Enke Road with four charging ports. Meanwhile, Tesla has filed formal plans for Maricopa’s first-ever supercharging station at Fry’s Marketplace on John Wayne Parkway. The 16-stall site, which would be the city’s largest charging facility if approved, is under review by city staff and would be built and operated privately by the company.

No price tag yet for Maricopa’s publicly funded EV station, but ADOT estimated the overall program at $27.6 million, with $16.3 million tied to the 2023 plan.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, funded with $5 billion in federal money, launched under the Biden administration in 2021. It hit pause earlier this year when the Federal Highway Administration pumped the brakes during a legal fight. With that battle settled, funding is flowing again.

So, when can you actually plug in? If all goes smoothly, construction could start next year, and the first charges might flow in 2027, according to ADOT.