The Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce has joined with city leaders to encourage "business owners and residents to respectfully contact Arizona's state leaders" to protect the full funding for the Interstate 10 widening plan between Citrus Road and Highway 85.
State legislators informed city leaders recently that funding for the project might be eliminated or delayed.
A recent email from the chamber sent to its members said the highway plan prioritizes “traffic safety and mobility in Buckeye and the West Valley,” something residents were asked to communicate to state officials who represent Buckeye.
The following links provided by the chamber are group email letters to members of the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate
Arizona House of Representatives
Arizona Senate
In 2023, the Legislature approved $108 million for the project, initially planned for 2025, but the funding was pushed back to 2028, “marking the first delay in advancing these critical improvements,” according to city officials.
Since the original cost estimate, construction costs have risen, estimated now to $146 million.
State officials representing Buckeye and the surrounding area this year have accelerated the proposed funding schedule, appropriating $133 million over three fiscal years (2026 - 2028), according to Buckeye City officials.
The current state funding schedule is as follows:
Fiscal Year 2026: $27 million
Fiscal Year 2027: $30 million
Fiscal Year 2028: $76 million
Additionally, Buckeye and the Maricopa Association of Governments have committed a combined $10 million in local and regional funding toward the project.
Wha the Chamber is saying...
I-10 Is Already Over Capacity
More than 140,000 vehicles travel through Buckeye daily on Interstate 10, a staggering 40% increase from just two years ago.
The cost of this growth is measured in more than just minutes lost to delays. When this stretch of I-10 hits capacity, it becomes a danger zone. Between 2021 and 2025 alone, the combination of abrupt stops and hindered emergency response led to 1,145 crashes between Citrus Rd. and Verrado Way.
Despite these risks, the solution, a fully funded and planned additional lane, is now being stalled. What was once a settled safety project is now being used as a bargaining tool in the state budget.
Buckeye’s growth isn’t slowing down. Traffic isn’t slowing down. Safety improvements shouldn’t be delayed.
Project Overview
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), in coordination with the Maricopa Association of Governments and the cities of Goodyear and Buckeye, is currently designing improvements to I-10 from SR-85 to Citrus Rd.
The project is designed to:
- Increase capacity by adding a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) travel lane
- Improve safety by adding a concrete median barrier
- Add median lighting where applicable
This is a planned, coordinated regional improvement, not a new idea and not an unstudied concept.
Why This Project Matters
Public Safety
- Reduces stop-and-go conditions that lead to crashes
- Improves emergency response access
- Adds a concrete median barrier to reduce cross-median incidents
- Improves visibility through added lighting
Mobility & Traffic Flow
- Improves commute reliability
- Reduces congestion at the SR-85 interchange
- Keeps regional commerce moving
Planning for Growth
- Buckeye is one of the fastest-growing communities in the state and country
- Infrastructure must keep pace with current demand
3 Responses
One thing I have noticed is specifically at the Watson exit is the offramp to Watson Road needs to be expanded because quite frequently the traffic backs all the way back up to the freeway and makes it very dangerous. Several times now I’ve had to come to a complete stop in the right hand lane traveling west, and you see some cars having to quickly veer off to the side to avoid rear ending existing traffic. This obviously then affects all the other lanes of traffic as well.
These improvements need to be done as soon as possible not later. It’s horrible how the traffic backs up in this area and they want to keep a new housing and businesses in Buckeye. I live in the Sundance community and had a vehicle smashed into on the Watson exit these improvements need to be done before someone has to pay for it with their life. The offramp on Watson exit is not long enough. it’s scary sitting out on the freeway hoping that you don’t get hit by a big rig trying to exit off this exit ramp then trying to get on the freeway by Verrado is really bad too. These are permit should’ve been done back when they’re already whining the freeway before now it’s gonna cost us even more. This promise may be done before the cost someone there life
Keep the pressure on. Try getting on Sun Valley Parkway onto I 10 E. You come off a ramp doing 35 4045 miles an hour and going into traffic doing 75 to 80 with no place to go if you’re not let in. Need to widen these roads to allow for the traffic. Taraval is a new subdivision. They’re building 2000 homes right now that traffic will all filter onto I 10. And need to do something about it and it needed to be done yesterday. Keep up the work.