Process begins to improve critical intersection in Queen Creek
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“Once we get all parties’ approvals, we'll start into the design process. But having all the landowners involved and the railroad will be a slow and cumbersome process to make sure we check the box with every entity that's involved.””
Dave Lipinski, Capital Improvements director, Queen Creek
The Queen Creek town council has approved entering an Intergovernmental Agreement with Maricopa County and the city of Mesa estimated at $1.5 million for the design of the Sossaman and Germann intersection.
The intersection, currently regulated by stop signs, is a major bottleneck on Sossaman Road, a major route to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
The agreement would put traffic lights in that intersection in order to move more cars.
“Right now, it's just a stop condition and there are no dedicated left turn lanes or right turn lanes north or south, so traffic gets backed up severely because of the all the traffic through the intersection,” said Queen Creek’s Capital Improvements Director Dave Lipinski. “By enhancing it and making it larger it will be much more efficient.”
In December 2019, the council approved annexation of Germann Road except for 750 feet west of Sossaman. Now the town will annex the remaining section of Germann Road at the Sossaman intersection. Queen Creek will maintain and operate the intersection after it is constructed.
The $1.5 million cost will be split three ways among Maricopa County, Mesa and Queen Creek. Mesa has approved the agreement, but it still needs to go through the Maricopa Board of Supervisors in mid-January for approval.
Construction of the signalized intersection will not be a quick process. In February, council will be asked to approve the design firm selected by town staff. In March, the design process begins. But it won’t be until June through September 2023 that the Arizona Corporation Commission will take action to approve the design.
Lipinski emphasizes the $1.5 million is only for the design work. The estimate for construction is about $13.5 million. The challenges facing the project include:
Dealing with multiple jurisdictions – Maricopa County, Mesa, Union Pacific Railroad and Flood Control District.
Right-of-way constraints
Union Pacific Railroad limitations on improvements
“Once we get all parties’ approvals, we'll start into the design process. But having all the landowners involved and the railroad will be a slow and cumbersome process to make sure we check the box with every entity that's involved,” Lipinski said.
He added there are a few options on how to pay for the construction of the new intersection.
“We will be looking for some funding from our partners, and then also there's a possibility of it being a part of a future [Maricopa Association of Governments] program if Prop. 400 gets extended,” Lipinski said.
In 2004, Maricopa County voters approved an extension of Proposition 400’s half-cent sales tax for transportation projects in the Valley. The sales tax hike is set to expire in 2025.
“This is another example of the efforts the council has made to prioritize transportation in the town of Queen Creek. That’s our residents’ No. 1 concern and that's why the town has invested so much money and so many resources to improving roadways,” said Constance Halonen-Wilson, communications and marketing manager for the town of Queen Creek.
The Germann-Sossaman intersection is just one of the multi-jurisdictional projects Queen Creek is working on. The town is partnering with Pinal County to work on the Meridian Road extension up to the State Route 24. The town also is working with Mesa on the Signal View extension to the SR-24.
Lipinski said the Germann-Sossaman intersection project is probably the most important one for Queen Creek right now due to the high volume of traffic that chokes that location. And having control over the intersection is another plus.
“This town currently maintains all the roadways in the surrounding area, so it'll allow us to control the traffic signal and tie it into our system so we can coordinate timing,” he added. “But the maintenance of the pavement itself just kind of blends into our program in the surrounding area.”
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley @AzNewsmedia
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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