U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said last week he was pleased that Congress approved measures he co-authored with U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to extend one Arizona highway and provide for a future thoroughfare.

“I am pleased Congress approved the extension of the Interstate 11 designation and designated the Sonoran Corridor as a future interstate,” Flake said. “These roads have the potential to serve as a boon to trade and economic growth both in Arizona and nationwide.”

Flake and McCain previously sponsored provisions to designate the Sonoran Corridor as a future interstate and connect I-19 to I-10 and to expand the future I-11 southward from the Wickenburg in the Phoenix area to Arizona’s southern border near Nogales and north toward Las Vegas and I-80.

Both bills serve to amend the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991: the Sonoran Corridor Interstate Development Act by connecting the interstate highways just south of Tucson International Airport as a future part of the interstate system; and The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015, by earmarking the western corridor as a high priority roadway, opening up the region as a more accessible trade route.