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Committee backs $6 million for Show Low road extension to improve evacuation and emergency access
Summary
The Senate panel recommended due pass for House Bill 2220, which would appropriate $6 million in FY2026 from the state general fund to ADOT to fund the Wolford (Wilford) Road extension project in Show Low; city officials and the mayor said the project is shovel-ready and would improve evacuation routes and reduce summer congestion.
House Bill 2220 would appropriate $6 million from the state general fund in FY2026 to the Arizona Department of Transportation for construction of the Wilford (Wolford) Road extension in the city of Show Low.
City Manager Morgan Brown and Mayor John Leach testified to the project’s regional importance. Brown said the extension would create a bypass for congested state highways in the White Mountains, improve emergency-response times to Summit Healthcare and provide an additional evacuation route for wildfires and flooding. Brown said the city and a developer already committed about $7 million, that the project is 100% designed and shovel-ready, and that the requested $6 million would produce a project with matching funds in place.
Mayor Leach, a former firefighter, described past wildfire evacuations that took hours and said the road would materially shorten emergency response and evacuation times. Committee members with ties to the region spoke in support, noting long-term local engagement with the project. The committee recorded 6 ayes, 0 nays and 4 not voting and gave the bill a due-pass recommendation.
Ending: The measure, supported by local officials as a regional preparedness and congestion-relief project, proceeds to the full Senate. The city characterized the appropriation as matching a larger developer and city commitment and said the bridge and road design is complete.
