RANCHO INTERCHANGE IGA APPROVED

Mayor Jen Miles said Tuesday’s Kingman City Council approval of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is a big step forward after years of planning and effort involved with the Rancho Santa Fe Interchange project. She said the IGA with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for phase one involves construction of the Interstate 40 interchange and short arterial extensions to the north and south.

City Engineer Greg Henry said phase one will stretch interchange arterials about ¼-mile in each direction, including the parkway that will lead to the Kingman Airport Industrial Park. Henry said ADOT will review design plans and be reimbursed by the city, a cost currently estimated at $109,000.

Henry said Kingman will update and complete the project design plans. He said the city and its partners are responsible for funding construction and securing necessary rights of way.

Henry said most of the right of way has been acquired, but four property owners have been non-responsive. Henry said negotiations could secure rights of way from two of the four, and that it may be necessary to use eminent domain, condemnation avenues to secure the other two through litigation.

Henry said ADOT has assigned a staff member to manage its involvement with the project. He said city officials want to meet with their ADOT counterparts in the near future.

Council member Jamie Scott Stehly said development associated with the interchange and parkway will be a boost for the Kingman economy.

``I don’t want to let this go without commenting on how important a project of this size will be as we go into a recession,” Stehly said. ``It’s going to create jobs. It’s going to be an infusion of money into our economy. I really think we’re going to see a different recession here in Kingman than we did in 2009 and this project is really going to make a huge difference.”