The City of Buckeye has entered an agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to participate directly in construction planning and oversight for the Jackrabbit Trail interchange and I‑10 widening project.
Under the agreement, a city representative will attend project meetings throughout construction, respond to ADOT inquiries on issues that affect the municipality, and take part in developing the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) estimates for the project’s phases.
“The key thing about this is now we will have a seat table to be involved in discussion with the contractor and ADOT and how things may or may not move forward,” said John Willett, Buckeye's deputy director of transportation.
The city's role is intended to ensure it has a voice in decisions affecting project quality, schedule and impacts on residents.
Key benefits of the agreement to the city include:
- It establishes a reimbursement funding mechanism through ADOT for eligible City costs.
- It ensures that the city has a proactive voice in a critical regional infrastructure project.
- It protects community interests while leveraging ADOT-funded support.
- It allows the city to remain directly involved in decision-making while ensuring city costs are reimbursed through ADOT.
- It requirs ADOT to reimburse costs up to $350,000 per year.
The City will cover staffing costs up front and invoice ADOT for eligible expenses.
For fiscal year 2026, estimated costs are roughly $60,000 — approximately one‑sixth of the annual amount, reflecting work during May and June.
Fiscal year 2027 costs are budgeted at up to $350,000.
Mayor Eric Orsborn said the city's priority is to get funding from the state for this first phase of the larger I-10 widening project.
"The governor's budget currently does not provide funding for I-10," Orsborn said. "The legislative budget does include funding for it. If we can get the funding for at least the first phase of the I-10 widening, these two projects go ahead at one time."
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.
