MARICOPA, AZ (AZFamily) — Traffic troubles may soon be a thing of the past on SR 347 now that Arizona transportation officials approved a new expansion project.The city of Maricopa is calling this their “Super Bowl victory.” There were even watch parties for the livestream of Friday’s board meeting because improving the highway is the city’s number one issue.Tens of thousands of Arizona drivers and commuters take SR 347 every day, and it’s not always a pleasant experience.“Everybody here in Maricopa has a 347 story,” said Christian Mylek. He is part of the Be Awesome Youth Coalition.For people like Mylek who live in the city of Maricopa, the trek to the Valley can be dangerous.“I drive the 347, my brother drives the 347 and it’s scary,” said Mylek. Bad crashes often turn deadly.“You end up with thousands of accidents almost averaging one per day,” said Maricopa Mayor Nancy Smith.That’s why Smith is thrilled something is finally being done about it. “Yesterday was the best day of my life in the ten years of serving the city of Maricopa,” she said, talking about Friday’s state transportation board meeting.It was packed with local residents and regional leaders who all pushed for the project, and it worked. The expansion was approved and is now part of ADOT’s five-year construction plan.For years, funding gaps have been a roadblock in the fight to widen and improve the highway. Drivers use SR 347 at freeway speeds even though there are just two lanes in each direction and a handful of stoplights.About a month ago, the city council greenlit a half-cent sales tax to create a local fu …
