Kingman City Manager Ron Foggin is clear: The arrival of three new I-40 freeway interchanges associated with the development of I-11 offers a once in a generation opportunity “to remake what Kingman is.”

In rapid succession, he ticks off the three projects and their importance to improving the quality of life in this city of about 30,000 residents.

• There’s the new Rancho Street interchange on the east side. It opens up direct access to the airport and the city’s industrial park. Foggin sees jobs, lots of good paying jobs. He points out that Kingman has the largest concentration of manufacturing anywhere in Arizona outside Maricopa County. Improved freeway access should drive expansion and  bring in new firms, he says.
• There’s Kingman Crossing, which Foggin touts as a new commercial corridor that can ease the strain on the nearby Stockman Hill strip. The city has signed a deal to develop a shopping center with two big box retailers and space for a host of smaller shops. The hunt is on for national retailers, with an emphasis on clothing and general merchandise. Residents have expressed a desire for a Target, he explains. He also hopes to lure a range of chain sit-down restaurants.
• And there’s the reimaging of the existing I-40/US 93 interchange at West Beale Street. That’s the bottleneck that for years has bedeviled motorists travelling between Phoenix and Las Vegas. It’s also the gateway to the historic downtown business district. The challenge, Foggin recognizes, is finding a way to lure tourists off the highway and into restaurants and shops. The city’s sales tax revenue depends on a successful solution. Construction is expected to begin in 2024.

Foggin, a graduate of Brigham Young University, came to Kingman in 2018 after a five-year run as city manager of Dallas, Oregon. He speaks like a proud father when he describes a day when the children of Kingman will be able to return after college and build a career in their hometown.

He’s eager to get started on this road to a new prosperity and he won’t have to wait long. Construction equipment should start arriving next year and the first interchange could be open as early as 2024.