The Arizona House Transportation Committee approved HB 2598 this week. If enacted, the bill will allow Maricopa County voters to decide whether to renew a funding source for building transportation projects, like roads, bridges, and highways.
State Rep. Frank Carroll, R-Sun City, sponsored the bill.
“If you’ve ever been to Los Angeles, you know what happens when you fail to invest in your infrastructure,” Carroll said in a press release. “Maricopa County continues to experience record growth, which puts tremendous demand on our existing transportation infrastructure. For our roads, bridges, and highways to keep pace with that tremendous growth, it’s necessary to have a funding source to pay for infrastructure investments.”
Maricopa County is the only county in the state that requires legislative approval to put a transportation funding proposal to the voters. The county’s current funding will expire at the end of 2025 unless voters extend it.
Reauthorized funding will help build new freeway projects in the region, including future State Route 30 and State Route 24, according to a press release from Carroll’s office.
“No one wants to spend their precious time stuck in crushing traffic,” Carroll said. “No one likes taxes either, especially me. But we all value having good roads, and this plan is necessary to keep Valley transportation infrastructure some of the best in the nation. Let’s not let Arizona turn into California. I am confident that after this legislation passes, Arizona voters will choose to keep Arizona moving.”
There is an identical bill in the Arizona Senate on the issue progressing through the legislature. SB 1356, sponsored by Senator Tyler Pace, R-Mesa, was unanimously approved by the Transportation and Technology Committee.
If the legislation becomes law, Maricopa County voters will have a chance this November to extend the funding for an additional 25 years.
