What started as a promise in Florence has turned into a signed deal in Maricopa.

Last night, the Maricopa City Council unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement pledging $20 million from the county coffers to help widen State Route 347.

The action marks a key step toward formalizing a deal first approved by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors in March, which seeks to add the state highway to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s five-year construction plan .

The county will contribute $20 million toward the city’s broader $50 million investment in the widening. Under the agreement, the county will make a single $20 million payment to the city by May 1.

State legislators obtained an additional $53.7 million earlier this year.

City Manager Ben Bitt

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