Arizona now has all the financial pieces in place to widen Interstate 10 between Chandler and Casa Grande thanks to a $95 million federal grant announced by state Democratic leaders on Monday.The project has been a priority for many years, but funding its over $1 billion price tag hasn’t been easy to come by. State leaders planned on receiving a third of the cost in federal help, but concerns within the Biden administration about the project’s focus on freeway lanes and lack of other transit options left that grant in jeopardy.So political and tribal leaders began a new grant process and pressure campaign on federal transportation officials, culminating in the announcement Monday that the final $95 million had been secured. The money is a federal transportation grant, albeit a different program than Arizona leaders had originally sought.Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat who’s a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, credited the funding to a bipartisan effort from the state’s congressional delegation — whom he dubbed “team Arizona” — and an improved application from the Arizona Department of Transportation.”They emphasize a lot more in this application the fact that this would not only improve transportation for commuters in Arizona, or truck traffic and therefore improving trade, but also so much improve the lives of people living on the Gila River Indian Community,” Stanton told The Arizona Republic. “It was a huge equity piece that was missing in previous applications.”State Sen. T.J. Shope, a Coolidge Republican who has worked on the expansion for a decade by his estimate, said the final infusion of funding was in large part due to the involvement of Stephen Roe Lewis, the governor of the Gila River Indian Community.What is going on with Interstate 17?Massive expansion underway north of PhoenixLewis worked with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs after learning the state’s prior grant applicati …
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