U.S. Department of Transportation announces federal grant for San Luis, Arizona
SAN LUIS, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - San Luis, Arizona will receive $25 million from the United States Department of Transportation to enhance Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
Federal funds will help in improving the roadway and widening five miles of Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation highlights this money will help alleviate the traffic congestion the city faces.
“Any border town faces additional pressure. Especially given the activity going on in the trucking and supply chains congestion that can come with that; and so making sure that there better, safer, and more efficient road networks can really improve the quality of life of people who live in the community,” said Pete Buttigieg.
Council Member Matias Rosales emphasizes the critical need for federal assistance to address the infrastructure issues in San Luis.
“We’re a rural community. Our funding is minimal because of the population size but we have the traffic of a big metropolitan area because of all the economic tourists and crossers that cross through San Luis."
The allocated funds will contribute to stormwater infrastructure improvements, bus stops, intersection enhancements, fiber optics, bike facilities, and sidewalks.
“Safety-wise is number one, traffic congestion is going to now be going down and these funds are gonna allow us to do this project hopefully now in one phase versus spreading it out in different phases because we were short with the money,” said Council Member Rosales.
This marks the second year of the rural program, expected to invest approximately $2 billion through 2026, focusing on bringing flexible transit services to rural and tribal areas.
“Many of our successful applicants come from areas that are experiencing this growth in the rural community, that just wasn’t built for the kind of population and traffic that you’re experiencing now. We want to help you catch up… we know that cost money and that what these $25 million can help with,” said Buttigieg.
Representative Raul Grijalva also stated in a press release that he had sent several letters to the United States Department of Transportation over the years in support of a grant proposal for improving Cesar Chavez Boulevard and that grant is now in effect.
