Mesa has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with Queen Creek and Maricopa County to transfer a right of way for the Sossaman Road and Germann Road Intersection Improvement Project.
The agreement was unanimously approved by the Mesa City Council at its Monday meeting. The IGA was on the council’s consent agenda in which all items are handled through one motion and vote.
The new IGA is one more step toward developing the busy intersection currently regulated by stop signs. Under the project, signalized traffic lights will be installed at the intersection, easing a bottleneck on Sossaman Road, which is a major route to Mesa Gateway Airport.
Queen Creek is solely responsible for construction and funding of the project and will maintain and operate the intersection after it is constructed.
The project requires that jurisdiction of the right of way associated with the intersection and the Union Pacific Railroad at-grade crossing be transferred to Queen Creek.
Part of the right of way is in Maricopa County, with the second portion in Mesa. Under the agreement, the county and Mesa will allow Queen Creek to annex the entire right of way, a staff report stated.
“The affected areas include portions of existing Germann Road and Sossaman Road right of way, UPRR property and adjacent parcels needed for the project,” the staff report continued.
Queen Creek’s proposed intersection improvements will include:
Connecting Germann Road between Sossaman Road and Rittenhouse Road, with ultimate connectivity from Interstate 10 to Pinal County.
Adding a signalized intersection.
Widening Germann Road to three lanes in each direction.
Widening Sossaman Road to two lanes in each direction.
Constructing an at-grade railroad crossing with safety features such as flashing lights and crossing arms.
The Arizona Corporation Commission and Union Pacific must approve the project’s design before the crossing can be annexed or any work on the project started.
Queen Creek will pay the costs of improvement design and construction which are estimated at between $24 million and $28 million, according to Queen Creek documents.
Up to $18 million in funding for the intersection improvements was included in Proposition 479. In November 2024, Maricopa County residents voted to continue paying a half cent sales tax to fund roads and transit infrastructure.
The remaining money for the project will be provided by Queen Creek.
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.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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