San Luis approves road project to ease congestion

SAN LUIS, Ariz. – This city’s east and west ends will be connected by a second through street that city officials say should ease traffic congestion on the existing road.

The San Luis City Council recently approved an agreement with the Arizona

Department of Transportation under which the state agency will administer a $1.2 million federal grant for the paving of County 24th Street between 10th Avenue and Avenue F ½, a stretch that is currently a dirt surface.

The project, slated to begin within six months, is expected by city officials to draw off some of the traffic that congests Cesar Chavez Boulevard, the only street that now extends all the way from the east to west side.

The city elected to have ADOT administer the project through its HURF Exchange Program to cut the red tape that would otherwise lengthen the time of the project.

“This is something that is very important for us in ensuring we can use those funds,” Mayor Gerardo Sanchez said.

“They are in the budget and this will allow us to proceed with the project. We have been working on this for some time, the design in ready and all that’s lacking is (getting) the federal permits.”

The road passes through federal land, and Sanchez said they still must get permits from the Bureau of Reclamation to do the work. He said city officials are already meeting with bureau officials locally.

San Luis officials said the $1.2 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration will cover a portion of the project, with the city paying for the balance with other sources, among them funds allocated to the city under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Sanchez said he expects the work to begin sometime after the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.