By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
As Maricopa County continues to adjust to the influx of new residents, employers and visitors that have come in the last several years, road capacity has struggled to keep up.
This, along with a philosophical opposition to light rail/mass transit, was one of the planks in the Arizona Legislature’s protracted fight to scuttle, and ultimately significantly revise, the draft legislation that finally led to the ballot measure County voters were ultimately presented with to approve the renewal of the half-cent transportation tax for another 20 years last November.
Our coverage of that issue is available here.
We have spent the last two issues covering components of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ planned implementation funding and vision for projects under the renewed tax’s guidelines and MAG’s overall project programming. (AZBEX: June 17; June 20) In today’s issue, we turn our attention to planned efforts to widen arterial roads and streets.
Arterial Widening Program
MAG’s Arterial Widening Program is one of the agency’s first two new competitive programs under the Regional Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Investment Plan and is funded by federal monies allocated to the region. Member agencies and MAG staff led the program development efforts.
Policies for the program were approved by the MAG Regional Council in March and govern program administration, eligibility and project evaluation, according to a presentation to the MAG Transportation Review Committee last month.
The programs’ stated goals are:
- Expand capacity on existing arterial roadways and intersections;
- Establish new arterial roadways;
- Promote connectivity between high-demand capacity roadways and activity centers to advance economic vitality, provide for the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and other roadway users;
- Support economic competitiveness and growth through strategic transportation investments, and
- Maintain the region’s transportation infrastructure to protect existing investments for the future.
The objective is to increase regional mobility by improving existing roadway capacity and to allow expansion of the network. Eligible projects are roadway facilities on the regional arterial or mile grid system, roadway facilities that connect to freeways or other controlled access freeways, and “other key arterial corridors.”
MAG’s Management Committee was issued notice of the call for projects near the end of March. A total of $56.25M was available for programming, and 14 eligible applications were received by the May 2 deadline. The Street Committee then reviewed and ranked the projects using both qualitative and quantitative criteria, and the TRC issued the project ranking and funding scenario toward the end of May.
Throughout the month of June, the Management Committee and Transportation Policy Committee have considered the project ranking and funding scenario, and the Regional Council will consider it this week. Award notification letters are due to be sent June 30.
Of the 14 applications received, Buckeye submitted three, and Avondale submitted two. Apache Junction, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Maricopa, Maricopa County, Mesa, Phoenix and Surprise each submitted one. Both of Avondale’s submissions were tentatively awarded, but Buckeye only received an award for one. Seven projects were selected in total.
The Selected Projects
Following is a brief overview of the seven projects chosen from the submitted field. They are generally taken as written from the submitting agencies’ applications, with edits made only for clarity, brevity and style. Projects are listed according to their ranking.
Lower Buckeye Road: Litchfield Road to Agua Fria River (Avondale): The City of Avondale is requesting funding for the widening of West Lower Buckeye Road from Litchfield Road to the west bank of the Agua Fria River. Currently, this segment of Lower Buckeye Road consists of only two lanes with one in each direction. The project will widen Lower Buckeye Road by constructing two continuous through lanes in each direction (eastbound and westbound), separated by a raised landscaped median, and will incorporate left- and right-turn lanes as required to facilitate safe and efficient access to adjacent developments. This critical project is necessary to accommodate increasing traffic volumes and to improve safety, reliability, and multimodal access throughout the corridor.
Higley Road: Warner Road to Amber Lane (Gilbert): The project will provide design and construction of roadway improvements to eliminate the scallop condition on Higley Road from Warner Road to Amber Lane. The scope includes half-street improvements on the east side of Higley Road to major arterial standards, including right turn lanes, positive offsets at intersections, raised medians, bike lanes, sidewalks, streetlights, fiber conduit, cable, and the re-striping of Higley Road.
Crismon Road: Elliot Road to Guadalupe Road (Mesa): This is a new arterial roadway segment and will connect Crismon Road between Elliot Road and Guadalupe Road. The project has been programmed in Mesa’s Capital Improvement Plan since 2021, to be designed in Fiscal Year 2026 and constructed in Fiscal Year 2027. However, Mesa does not have sufficient funding for the project but is able to supply the match portion of the project if the grant was awarded.
Due to ongoing growth in the area, the need to close this gap has risen in priority, and it is crucial this arterial is completed to improve north-south connectivity for rapidly expanding residential, commercial and industrial developments in southeast Mesa. (AZBEX: Dec. 17, 2021; June 17)
Lower Buckeye Road: 127th Ave to 107th Avenue (Avondale): The City of Avondale is requesting funding for the widening of Lower Buckeye Road from South 127th Avenue to South 107th Avenue. This stretch of roadway is partially improved with a curb and sidewalk on the north side of Lower Buckeye Road between South El Mirage and South 107th Avenue. The majority of the corridor consists of only two lanes, one in each direction.
The project will widen Lower Buckeye Road between South 127th Avenue and South 107th Avenue by constructing two continuous through lanes in each direction (eastbound and westbound), separated by a raised landscaped median at strategic locations, and will incorporate left- and right -turn lanes as required to facilitate safe and efficient access to adjacent developments. A two-way center left-turn lane will be implemented throughout the corridor, providing a dedicated space for vehicles to safely turn left from either direction.
67th Ave: Deer Valley Road to Pinnacle Peak Road (Glendale): This Arterial Widening and Street Reconstruction Project involves the expansion and comprehensive rehabilitation of the roadway infrastructure along 67th Ave. The primary scope includes widening the existing arterial by one lane in each direction to accommodate increasing traffic volumes and improve overall traffic flow. This widening will require the acquisition of additional right-of-way along the corridor. In addition to the widening, the existing roadway surface within the current footprint will be upgraded to meet current pavement standards.
Miller Road: Broadway Road to Lower Buckeye Road (Buckeye): The proposed project is the widening of Miller Road, a north-south roadway within the city of Buckeye from Broadway Road north to Lower Buckeye Road. It is one of the few roadways within the city that has an interchange with Interstate 10. Between Broadway Road and Lower Buckeye Road, Miller Road is currently a two-lane roadway (one through lane in each direction) with a daily traffic volume of approximately 20,164 vehicles. This project would widen the roadway to provide two through lanes in each direction, separated by a raised median.
Additionally, for pedestrian and rolling traffic safety, Buckeye will be adding a six-foot sidewalk to either side of the roadway wherever possible with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant features.
27th Ave: Lower Buckeye Road to Buckeye Road (Phoenix): The purpose of the project is to improve the capacity and operational efficiency of 27th Avenue. The proposed improvements will increase the roadway width, add curb, gutter, sidewalk and ADA ramps, new traffic signals and traffic control devices, new streetlighting, provide bicycle lanes and provide pavement drainage along 27th Avenue. The goals of the project are to add roadway capacity, improve pedestrian safety and access, and improve drainage.
The (Major) Road Projects Not Taken
Three of the rejected seven projects have total project costs greater than any of the seven selected. Those are:
- Bethany Home Road: 195th Ave to SR 303: Maricopa County; $54.3M (total); $37.99M (requested);
- Cotton Lane: Greenway Road to Peoria Avenue: Surprise; $37M (total); $25.9M (requested), and
- White and Parker Road: Civic Center Plaza to Honeycutt Road: Maricopa; $20.3M (total); $14.2M (requested).
While the seven selected projects have a total estimated value of nearly $89.8M, and MAG recommended funding of $56.25M, the 14 projects submitted add up to more than $238.9M, effectively demonstrating the ongoing need for major roadway expansion in Maricopa County and the ongoing challenges every jurisdiction must juggle to fund essential infrastructure projects.