Grant will advance improving two I-40 connections on Navajo Nation

PHOENIX – A $27.5 million federal grant will advance the Arizona Department of Transportation’s plans to upgrade two Interstate 40 traffic interchanges providing vital connections with the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock and other northeastern Arizona locations. 

The award through the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program will help ADOT replace four bridges that currently make up the interchanges at Navajo Nation Route 12 (Window Rock) at milepost 357 and Grant Road (Lupton) at milepost 359. Those bridges don’t meet current design standards.

The project, with a current estimated cost of $48.6 million, will comprehensively upgrade the two interchanges by improving traffic flow on the crossroads, enhancing pedestrian safety, removing the threat of seasonal flooding and raising vertical clearance. 

“Upgrading these interchanges that are so critical to those living in and traveling through the Navajo Nation will help safely connect Arizonans and empower our state’s economy,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said. 

ADOT’s grant proposal received support from state and federal elected leaders, local governments and Navajo Nation officials.

“Together, we will elevate the vertical connections within our landscapes, embodying the unwavering spirit of the Navajo Nation – a spirit rooted in connectivity, progress and a shared future,” the Navajo Department of Transportation said as part of a statement on the award.

The grant requires a $6.8 million state match, and other funding will come from ADOT’s Bridge Subprogram. The project is tentatively scheduled for fiscal 2027.