By Richard Dyer
Mail | Twitter: @RHDyer

More than $1.5 million in federal funds are being sought for drainage work near sidewalk improvements in Apache Junction on Old West Highway between Idaho and Goldfield Roads and on Winchester Road between Old West Highway and the Sixth Avenue alignment.

The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously April 5 in a consent agenda with other items to approve an amendment to an existing intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation for the $1,549,901.

The project design is completed, with construction anticipated to take 90 to 100 days in fall 2022, Project Engineer Raquel Schatz said at a council work session April 4.

“These are sidewalk improvement projects on Old West Highway, from probably about Winchester to Goldfield Road. We also included that small portion on Winchester Road from Old West Highway to Sixth Avenue alignment — that’s the portion in front of [Central Arizona College] that didn’t get built per the agreement that we had back then,” she said. “So we got sidewalks and curb and gutter on both sides wherever it’s missing along Old West Highway.”

Total cost of the project is $3,794,064, with $244,551 coming from the city of Apache Junction except for work near the college, where CAC officials have agreed to pay the city’s 5.7% match portion of the costs, Schatz said.

Construction costs for the sidewalk improvement project were initially $1,549,901 but are now $3,376,564, she said.

“(O)ur construction cost has almost doubled and that’s because when we put in the application back in 2019 we didn’t account for any drainage ... or anything like that. So we are having to extend some box culverts, we’re having to do some additional piping, we’re having to do much more drainage work. So that was the reason for the huge increase in the construction costs,” Schatz said.

The city in 2017 was awarded $1.5 million through Maricopa Association of Governments for construction on the sidewalks to begin in 2022. In 2019 the city was awarded $417,000 for the design, she said.

Council discussion

Councilmember Gail Evans asked if the work will be completed before winter visitors return.

“More than likely not,” Schatz said. “There’s no really good time for construction here in the city.”

Councilmember Robert Schroeder asked how the planned meandering sidewalks are designed.

“(W)hat’s with these snake meandering sidewalks anyway? Is this just take your little highlighter and just draw a line or is that the way it’s going to be?” he asked about a city staff graphic.

“It’s just kind of for aesthetics. It’s kind of something that the city has established ... instead of the straight and narrow, the attached (sidewalk) next to the street — to provide a little bit of a buffer for safety purposes. That’s not really how it looks like when the design is completed,” Schatz said. “It’s also due to the terrain out there as well too. It gradually goes down in some areas. We couldn’t build a bridge to go over the wash so that one does kind of go out a little bit.”

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

rdyer@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.