A development agreement serving as a necessary precursor to a massive highway project in Arizona has been approved by members of the Kingman City Council.
Both Kingman and State of Arizona officials have been pushing for years for the construction of a compact diamond interchange connected to the busy Interstate 40, which runs east to west through the city.
What is being called the Rancho Santa Fe Traffic Interchange Project is expected to ultimately cost $46 million to complete.
Last year, roughly $20 million in state funding was secured for the project.
Business groups and public officials contend that construction of the interchange will open up both Kingman and Mohave County, as well as larger and mostly rural northwestern Arizona, to commerce and industrial development.
Most importantly, from the Kingman point of view, is that the building of the interchange and necessary connector roads will provide a direct link between I-40 and the Kingman Municipal Airport, 10 miles to the northeast of the city.
A final design for the project, which has been studied and promoted on and off for at least three decades, has been approved by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
By Garry Boulard
