The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 adopted Resolution 25-28 to declare James Ranch Road a county highway, enabling the county to acquire right‑of‑way and move forward with a planned road to serve a new commercial port of entry.

Declaring the route a county highway will allow county staff to acquire the necessary property and drainage easements and—after construction by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)—make the corridor eligible for county maintenance, County staff said.

Miss Watkins, a county staff presenter, told the board that the project runs from Highway 80 south to the international border and that ADOT “is in the process of designing the road now.” Watkins said NEPA clearance was finalized by ADOT in April, which allows right‑of‑way acquisition to begin.

Watkins described flood‑control elements the board pressed on: multiple box culverts at three wash crossings and a raised roadway. “There’s box culverts. I think there’s 27 total box culverts. … The road will be raised about 6 to 7 feet to allow those box culverts,” Watkins said, adding that the culverts are sized and the design anticipates that the 25‑year storm will pass under the road and the 100‑year flow will also be accommodated without overtopping the roadway.

Board members asked about maintenance and cost. Watkins said ADOT will lead design and construction, and the county will maintain the road after construction. She said the project estimate is in the tens of millions: the board discussed $27,000,000 in the county budget and an overall cost estimate discussed at the hearing of roughly $48,000,000 for a limited four‑lane configuration with turn lanes; staff said they were pursuing additional grant funding of about $20,000,000.

The board voted to adopt Resolution 25-28 by voice vote; the clerk recorded the motion as passing 3–0.

The action establishes the county’s legal authority to proceed with right‑of‑way acquisition and positions the county to accept ADOT’s construction once funding is secured. County staff said ADOT completed NEPA and will undertake construction work, and the county will assume maintenance responsibility once the road is finished.

The board did not set a construction start date; staff said schedule and final funding remain contingent on ADOT design, grant awards and right‑of‑way acquisitions.