Maricopa enters agreement with Queen Creek on Hunt Highway connection

By Janet Perez
Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia

Progress on a critical transportation link in Queen Creek has reached a milestone.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county and Queen Creek for the design, construction and maintenance of improvements to Power Road from Riggs Road to Hunt Highway.

The agreement was unanimously approved by the supervisors at its June 10 meeting as part of its consent agenda.

The Queen Creek Town Council approved the intergovernmental agreement at its April 15 meeting.

Power Road from Riggs Road to Hunt Highway is two lanes that are maintained by Maricopa County.

“With forecasted development in the area, the town is working to widen Riggs Road to address capacity needs along the corridor,” according to the council staff report.

Under the agreement, Queen Creek will be the lead agency for the project. Once it is completed, the town will be annexing the stretch of road.

The county will provide no-cost permits for any related work that is within the county right of way, according to the agreement.

Currently, the county has a project to improve the intersection of Power Road and San Tan Boulevard and it has been coordinating the project with the town “to ensure the ultimate intersection will work within the proposed town project,” the staff report stated.

The town also has other road projects in the pipeline. For the next budget year, the council allocated $71.1 million for transportation infrastructure projects.

External sources make up nearly half of the proposed funding for projects, such as $13.2 million from Proposition 479 funds and $16 million in grants and government reimbursements.

Of the $71.1 million, $49.7 million is earmarked for priority projects and $17.7 million for projects already in progress. |

Priority projects in the proposed budget include:

• Widening Sossaman Road to a five-lane section from the Sonoqui Wash to Chandler Heights Road and constructing a bridge over the Sonoqui Wash. Cost: $14.8 million.
• Widening Chandler Heights Road to five lanes and addressing pavement maintenance from Sossaman to Hawes roads. Cost: $10.7 million.
• Various improvements at key intersections to enhance traffic flow and safety. Cost: $6.5 million.
• Expansion of the Hawes Road corridor from Chandler Heights to Ocotillo roads. Cost: $4.8 million.
• New traffic signals and drainage. Cost: $5.2 million.

Projects that will be continued in the new fiscal year include substantial completion of the construction of Power Road from Riggs to Chandler Heights roads at a cost of $7.4 million.

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.