PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Two of Arizona’s most populated counties are voting to decide whether to continue a half-cent tax to fund transportation projects as communities in and around metro Phoenix continue to see a population boom.
In Maricopa County, it will be on the ballot this year as Prop 479. Voters first approved this tax in 1985 and renewed it in 2004, which helped build the Loop freeways and the SR-51.
If passed, the tax will be extended for another 20 years and is expected to generate nearly $15 billion in revenue (based on 2020 dollars, not accounting for inflation).
An overwhelming majority of Arizonans support the ballot measure, which is supported by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and all major cities around the Phoenix area.
Government officials say the money would help keep the average commute time in the Valley to about 30 minutes in 2050, even after adding 1.7 million people and 900,000 jobs based on current projections.
Phoenix city officials say the money would help maintain the Valley Metro light rail system, create a new Bus Rapid Transit route, improve several heavily traveled streets, and improve a 31-mile stretch of Interstate 17 and Interstate 10 freeways, known as the “Spine Corridor,” which accounts for nearly half of all daily freeway traffic.
The funding could also help complete Loop 303 and expedite the development of state Route 30, which would connect Phoenix and Buckeye with a new route.
MAG says that compared to a “no-build scenario,” Prop 479 is reported to help reduce the afternoon commute by one-third and congestion on critical freight routes. It would create $2.4 billion annually in net new economic activity, save local businesses in travel time and shipping/logistics costs, and create more than 30,000 good-paying jobs.
In fast-growing Pinal County, voters are deciding whether to keep that same tax in their community. The county grew by almost 60,000 since 2020, an increase of nearly 14%.
Traffic has been a top concern in Maricopa, a growing town about 40 miles south of Phoenix, which relies on one main route to reach the Valley: state Route 347.
The county says that in the past five years, the tax has helped generate between $10 and $15 million for road repairs, air quality mitigation, and pavement preservation. The continuation of the tax is important to city leaders who are trying to find new ways to keep up with the growth.
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