PHOENIX (AP) - A sweeping transportation bill approved by Congress includes a provision to expand the length of the proposed new Interstate 11.
The House and Senate each approved the bill with bipartisan support Thursday, sending it the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.
The portion of the proposed I-11 between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wickenburg, Arizona, already has a federal designation, but the I-11 provision in the newly approved transportation bill would expand the designation to the entire proposed route.
That would extend it southward in Arizona to the U.S.-Mexico border and northward in Nevada to Reno.
No funding is set aside for I-11, but supporters say the expanded designation of the route helps the planning process and makes it more likely to get funding.
