Pinal County, Florence officials outline Hunt Highway widening, cite state land, ROW and funding steps

Pinal County and Town of Florence officials told a joint Planning & Zoning and Town Council work session that design and right‑of‑way work are advancing for a planned widening of Hunt Highway, but state land acquisition, railroad coordination and local right‑of‑way purchases remain hurdles before construction begins.

“This will get Hunt Highway widened to 5 lanes all the way down to the Anthem section,” said Celeste Garza, deputy public works director for Pinal County, describing the project that the county and town have been coordinating. Officials said an intergovernmental agreement entered in February covers shared consultant design work and portions of right‑of‑way work.

County staff estimated the entire project at about $40 million, with roughly $30.5 million the county’s portion and about $5.5 million the Town of Florence’s current estimate. Garza and county colleague Joe Ortiz said the county’s segment is roughly 60% through design while the town’s portion is about 90% complete. County staff said construction is being planned to begin next summer and the full 5.5‑mile build would take about two years, but multiple factors could change that window.

Why it matters: Hunt Highway serves commuters across Florence, Merrill Ranch and San Tan Valley and ties to regional routes. Commissioners and council members said safety, traffic backups and connectivity to Queen Creek and Coolidge make the project a near‑term priority.

County officials told the bodies the most time‑consuming steps are external approvals: negotiations with the Gila River Indian Community for a realignment segment, an Arizona State Land Department acquisition and coordination with Union Pacific for a railroad crossing. Ortiz said the plan realigns a portion off the existing alignment onto state land and adds roughly a half mile of new constructed roadway. Garza said the county has prior rights at the railroad and expects a widened crossing rather than an overpass.

Council and commission members pressed county staff on phasing, public‑facing construction impacts and whether the old alignment could remain open while the new roadway is built. County staff said the preference is to keep the old road open where possible, but realignment and other constraints could limit that.

Right‑of‑way and environmental work was cited as a cause of schedule slip: county staff said an environmental clearance process required for state land — including biological and cultural surveys — added roughly 60–90 days to the schedule. County and town staff said right‑of‑way acquisition is active work: the town’s IGA includes right‑of‑way acquisition in the joint contract, and town staff said they have procured a right‑of‑way consultant for Attaway/Hunt segments.

Funding and bidding strategies were discussed. Garza and Ortiz recommended coordinated bidding between county and town to reduce mobilization costs and better lock in prices amid rising construction inflation; staff urged sending projects to bid quickly to help control costs. Officials also discussed the possibility of a phased build — the town could start its leg earlier — and recommended bidding multiple legs near one another to reduce overtime mobilization costs.

Town council members asked whether developers could be required to contribute a buy‑in to future costs; staff said that remains to be determined and may depend on statutes, development agreements and the timing of development. Several elected officials also raised use of grant funding options and urged frequent updates to the public.

County staff said they have applied to Arizona State Land for the realignment parcels and submitted a notice of intent to a site referenced during the meeting for drainage/basin adjustments. They also said a portion of state land acquisition costs are not yet estimated because an appraisal is pending.

The county presentation closed with a pledge to coordinate more regularly with the town. “We’re in it together,” Ortiz said, and staff from both agencies told the meeting they would tighten communications and consider joint bids and phasing to limit public impacts.

The meeting produced no formal council vote on the Hunt Highway project during the work session; staff said construction timing, phasing and final contract decisions will return to council as specific procurement or funding actions are required.

Ending: Town and county staff said they will continue regular, standing coordination and provide updated schedules, right‑of‑way plans and public notices as the project moves through final design, appraisal and procurement steps.