Residents along Camelback Road continue to press Litchfield Park officials for action on heavy truck traffic, raising renewed safety, noise and air-quality concerns following a recent increase in complaints and a lack of formal response from the city.
The issue resurfaced after city police announced stepped-up traffic enforcement along Camelback Road and after residents renewed calls for restrictions on commercial trucks traveling through residential areas.
“We acknowledge our community’s concerns around trucking activity and vehicles traveling above the posted speed limit along Camelback Road and are aware that these issues cause a disturbance for residents,” stated Yosha Brunson Kuhl, director of communications at Litchfield Park.
The concerns were most recently addressed publicly at a November 2024, information meeting where city staff and consultants presented the final results of the Southwest Valley Camelback Road Truck Study conducted by the Maricopa Association of Governments, along with an independent analysis by engineering firm Exponent. The studies found that while average noise levels along Camelback Road are relatively low, periodic spikes from truck traffic were significant enough to disrupt nearby neighborhoods.
City officials outlined potential mitigation options, including overnight or full-day truck bans, sound wall enhancements, and noise-reducing asphalt. City Manager Matthew Williams said the recommendations would be taken to the City Council for further discussion, though any action remains constrained by state law.
Under Senate Bill 1097, passed by the Arizona Legislature in 2022, cities are prohibited from enforcing truck restrictions on major arterial roads that provide through access between jurisdictions. As a result, Litchfield Park cannot enforce its local truck ordinances on Camelback Road or Dysart Road, despite previously annexing a 2-mile stretch of Camelback Road between 127th Avenue and North Village Parkway.
Residents in the Litchfield Greens neighborhood and nearby areas have voiced concerns since at least 2022, citing overnight truck noise, diesel exhaust and safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists and students traveling near the roadway.
The scheduled 2026 opening of new schools and community facilities along Camelback Road has intensified those concerns.
“How do you expect children from Litchfield Elementary School to ride their bikes after school to the new library with all these trucks? The library and new high school should have never broken ground until these trucks were solved,” stated Litchfield Park resident, Juliane Davis, in a submitted opinion.
The city of Litchfield Park stated that Camelback Road is currently being redesigned and rebuilt with landscaped medians, sidewalks, and a roundabout positioned near the Camelback Road and Denny Boulevard intersection. The redesign is expected to reduce speeding in the area.
“Although we are limited in what we can legally do to limit trucking traffic as a city government, we will continue to pursue all avenues… to provide our residents with the peaceful atmosphere they desire and maintain traffic safety within our city limits,” stated Brunson Kuhl.
Litchfield Park officials have said they are continuing to explore legally permissible ways to mitigate truck-related impacts, but residents like Davis say meaningful relief has yet to materialize.
JamesGoldmeer can be reached at Mary.Goldmeer@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
James Goldmeer Reporter | Goodyear & Litchfield Park
Meet James James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.
Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.
Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English.
Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.
Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here