Arizona Awarded $90 Million U.S. Grant To Expand I-17

By Bridget Dowd
Associated Press
Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2019 - 9:30am
Updated: Wednesday, July 24, 2019 - 9:24am

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traffic on Interstate 17
Kathleen Mirza
Traffic backed up on Interstate 17.

State officials said Arizona has won a $90 million federal highway grant to help expand and improve Interstate 17 north of Phoenix.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says the grant awarded by the Federal Highway Administration will be used as part of an estimated $320 million project to add lanes along 23 miles of I-17.

Construction is to begin by 2021 and be completed in 2023.

The improvements to I-17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point are among Arizona's transportation priorities. The area regularly experiences heavy congestion because of crashes, disabled vehicles and increased traffic on the weekends.

The interstate is the main highway connecting Phoenix with Flagstaff and the rest of northern Arizona.

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