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A total of 13 road-construction projects are planned in the Town of Queen Creek in 2020, with three starting before the end of 2019.
“There are no roads under construction that will continue into 2020. The following projects will begin construction before the end of 2019: Rittenhouse Road, 213th Street alignment to Riggs Road; Rittenhouse Bridge at the Queen Creek Wash; and Meridian Road, Combs Road to Via del Oro,” Constance Halonen-Wilson, public information officer for the Town of Queen Creek, said.
The 10 projects that will begin construction in 2020, she said, are:
Signal Butte Road and Queen Creek Road Intersection
Queen Creek Road, Ellsworth Road to Crismon Road
Ocotillo Road, Signal Butte Road to Ironwood Road
Ocotillo Road, Hawes Road to Sossaman Road
Chandler Heights Road, Via Del Arroyo to Power Road
Chandler Heights Road, Power Road to Recker Road
Power Road, Brooks Farm Road to Power Road
Munoz Street, Ellsworth Loop to Ellsworth Road
Aldecoa Drive, Ellsworth Loop to Ellsworth Road
Germann Road, Meridian Road to Ironwood Road (to be done by Pinal County)
Queen Creek resident Harry Davis likes the state of the area’s roadways.
“I am just happy that our Arizona roads are so much better than the roads in Michigan, where I came from,” Mr. Davis said.
Pavement preservation
The following pavement preservation is scheduled for fiscal year 2020, with anything beyond June 30, 2020, needing to be approved in the fiscal year 2021 budget, according to Ms. Halonen-Wilson:
Fog seal --- a light application of diluted emulsion sprayed on an existing asphalt surface to enrich aging, weathered surfaces --- in spring 2020: Ellsworth from Cloud to south of Empire; and Riggs from Ellsworth to Hawes.
Micro seal --- a skid-resistant surface treatment composed of a mixture of polymer modified asphalt emulsion, well graded aggregate, mineral filler, water and other additives --- in spring 2020: Empire from west of Ellsworth to Signal Butte; and Ocotillo from Ironwood to Taylor.
Micro seal in summer 2020: Ironwood from Germann to Frye.
Crack seal --- to limit deterioration, cracks are filled with a rubberized sealant called “crack seal” that keeps out water and fills voids in the surface --- in winter 2019 for 37 areas: Recker from Ocotillo to Stonecrest, 186th Street, 201st Way, 204th Street, Arroyo de la Reina, Business Park, Charleston, Circle G Ranchettes, Cortina, Country Park Estates, Creek View, Emans Estates, Goldmine, Hastings, Indigo Trails, Langley, Lucia, Montelena, Ocotillo Heights, Ocotillo Landing, Pegasus Parkway, Pecan Lane, QC Plaza, Rancho Hacienda de Caballos, Recker Road, Remington, Roman Estates, Saddlewood, San Marqui, San Tan Vista, Scotland Court, Sonoqui Phases 1 and 3, Terra Ranch, Victoria, Villages, Will Rogers and Desert Mountain Park.
Maricopa County
The Maricopa County Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Town of Queen Creek, is replacing the existing Rittenhouse Bridge at Queen Creek Wash. The new four-lane bridge is to improve traffic flow in the region and increase safety for residents. The construction phase is in 2020-21, according to gis.maricopa.gov/Projects/?ID=2610.
MCDOT is also to repave segments of Chaparral Road, Hawes Road, Mountain Road, Orangewood Avenue, Sossaman Road and Exeter Boulevard to improve pavement conditions and provide smoother travel. Project scoping is slated for 2020, design in 2021 and construction in 2022, according to the website.
A project for San Tan Boulevard and Power Road traffic-signal installation has scoping slated in 2020 and design in 2021, but no year slated for construction, according to the website.
Pinal County
A project for Magma Road, Hunt Highway to Gary Road, has its 60% design plans complete with construction starting in fiscal year 2019-20, according to the Pinal County Public Works Department’s website at pinalcountyaz.gov.
Other projects in the works include:
Hunt Highway phase 5, Magma Road to Arizona Farms Road, with a 60% design submittal completed, an application made to the State Land Department for right-of-way and no timeframe for start of construction.
Gary Road widening improvements, from the end of a Town of Queen Creek project to Empire Road, with the design 90% complete and no time frame for construction.
Meridian Road, Germann Road to Riggs Road/Combs, with an intergovernmental agreement completed with the Town of Queen Creek. Construction is slated for 2021-22.
Arizona DOT
The Arizona Department of Transportation is to begin 20 to 24 months of construction in fall 2020 on the State Route 24 interim Phase II, Ellsworth Road to Ironwood Drive. It follows the completion of Phase I in 2014, which opened the segment of freeway between Loop 202 Santan Freeway and Ellsworth Road, according to a list of central district projects at azdot.gov.
Features of the new roadway are to include:
Two paved lanes in each direction separated by a graded median.
At-grade intersections at the following locations: Williams Field Road, Signal Butte Road, Meridian Road and Ironwood Drive
Bridges over Ellsworth and Mountain roads
A drainage channel along the north side of the freeway.
Signage, traffic signals, lighting and pavement marking, as necessary.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987.
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.
He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows
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