Manfredi Issues Urgent Call for SR 347 Support at Capitol

Maricopa City Councilmember Vincent Manfredi addressed the Arizona House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 26, 2025, emphasizing the urgent need for road improvements along State Route 347. Joined by fellow members of the Arizona Rural Transportation Advocacy Council, Manfredi made his case in a brief two-minute window.

After his testimony, he expressed the necessity for residents to advocate for State Route 347, highlighting the numerous emails flow into representatives’ inboxes regarding this pressing issue. “Apologies for the emails. It’s pretty simple to fix this problem: Fund the 347 and the emails will stop,” he humorously remarked. “I know it sounds like extortion, and it might be. Maybe it’s not extortion, maybe it’s just negotiation. That’s what lawyers say.”

Despite his light-hearted comment, Manfredi underscored serious statistics released by the state, revealing that SR 347 experienced 967 crashes over five years, resulting in 15 fatalities and 21 serious injuries. A significant portion of these incidents was due to rear-end collisions.

Manfredi clarified that the city is not looking for a bailout. “The city of Maricopa, which has no jurisdiction on the road, is looking to fund a huge amount of the money to get this done. We just need help,” he stated. His comments come amid concerns about rising costs linked to inflation, which he noted complicate the highway’s expansion further.

Reflecting on previous discussions, Manfredi estimated that when he and former council member Christian Price first sought funding for the highway, the expansion would require just under $200 million. “That cost is well over a half-billion dollars today,” he concluded, highlighting the urgent financial need for the project.