Additional funding for the preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition and construction needed to improve 6.1 miles of East Peralta Road in Gold Canyon is part of a more than $22 million agreement recently approved by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.
The board voted unanimously Feb. 19 as part of a consent agenda with other items to approve the memorandum of agreement under the Federal Lands Access Program between the Federal Highway Administration and Pinal County.
Initially approved by the supervisors on Jan. 5, 2022, it has a new end date of fall 2027 and an increased total of $22.35 million.
The 2022 request was for $11.6 million and the new request is for $19.4 million. The match amount, paid for by the county, was $675,000 in 2022 and is $1.6 million now, according to a board of supervisors grant request form.
The increase is needed to account for cost escalation through the federal fiscal year 2026, the agreement states.
“This agreement does not obligate — commit to — the expenditure of federal funds nor does it commit the parties to complete the project. Rather, this agreement sets forth the respective responsibilities as the project proceeds through the project development process,” the agreement states.
Peralta Road work
The road provides access to Tonto National Forest recreation sites and Peralta Regional Park, 17975 Peralta Road in Gold Canyon.
Proposed project improvements include providing a defined roadway prism from approximately 20 to 30 feet unpaved to 26 feet paved, including ditches, formalization of parking areas and pullouts, drainage improvements, possible sight-distance improvements, safety improvements and right-of-way acquisition from the Arizona State Land Department.
The project includes work within the U.S. Forest Service boundary such as reconstruction and paving of 0.3 miles, and paving of the parking lot trailhead and the overflow parking lot.
The project is administered by the Federal Highway Administration’s Central Federal Lands Division. The anticipated advertisement and award for construction have been rescheduled from the federal fiscal year 2024 to 2026.
Construction is anticipated to be approximately 12 months with road closures necessary in the summer, the agreement with Pinal County states.
“Weather should allow for year-round construction. There will be more traffic during the winter months. The county has indicated it may allow road closures in the summer months — May through mid-October — when use is reduced for at least the second phase of the project to increase efficiency and reduce costs,” it states.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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