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Drivers in Northwest Surprise are about a year away from a true northern passage.
Happy Valley Road now connects from 147th Avenue in Surprise to the east, including the Loop 303 in North Peoria. As part of a development agreement with Rancho Mercado developer William Lyon Homes — now a subsidiary of Taylor Morrison — agreed to build one lane of Happy Valley Road in each direction from 163rd Avenue to the city’s eastern boundary.
Surprise Community Development Director Chris Boyd stated in an email that the first three phases of Rancho Mercado’s Happy Valley plans are complete, and phases 5 and 6 are under construction from about 147th to 155th avenues. Those phases should be completed by December.
The last phase is Phase 4, which makes the final connection to 163rd Avenue. This project is nearing the permit stage and will provide residents northwest of 163rd and Grand avenues with an arterial option other than Bell Road or Grand.
“The two-lane section (one lane in each direction) from 147th to 163rd is scheduled to be completed the second half of 2021,” stated Andrea Murphy, Taylor Morrison vice president of sales and marketing, in an email.
When finished, Happy Valley Road will be a more direct outlet for residents of Asante, Desert Oasis, Saguaro Acres and the rest of this growth sector of the city.
The first half of the Happy Valley work provided somewhat of a release valve for drivers sick of the trek down 163rd to Grand before heading east to the rest of the Valley. Jomax Road can get cars from 163rd to 147th or even Dysart Road before heading south to Happy Valley.
“As Surprise continues to develop, transportation throughout the city will be important, including Happy Valley Road,” Mr. Boyd stated. “Many residents of Surprise, including those in the area of 163rd and Grand Avenue, are informed and involved in the transportation planning of the city.”
An increasing amount of Rancho Mercado residents will soon hit these roads. About 60 homes in the first phase are inhabited and more new owners are on the way.
“The current plan for full build-out at Rancho Mercado is a total of 1,931 home sites,” Ms. Murphy stated. “However, this number is subject to change as the final parcels go through the proper channels of approval with the city of Surprise. We have approximately 230 sold homes and as of July 1, roughly 60 homes have closed.”
She stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted the Rancho Mercado construction and plans remain unchanged. Currently, Rancho Mercado is running on schedule.
A total of six parcels have been completed to date along with the offsite road infrastructure.
“Additionally, we’ve seen an increase in sales since the pandemic began and the market continues to boom,” Ms. Murphy stated. “The current demand exceeds our typical construction paces; therefore, each community operates with limited monthly homesite releases.”
Right now, on its portion of Happy Valley between Lake Pleasant Parkway and Loop 303, the city of Peoria is overseeing signal improvements at 115th Avenue and 100th Lane, connection of all existing sidewalks and the Agua Fria Bridge widening design include accommodation for six lanes of traffic — three in each direction.
Mr. Boyd stated Surprise and Peoria continue to coordinate efforts on Happy Valley Road by evaluating current and projected needs along with the impact of other connections, such as Loop 303.
More extensive work on Happy Valley in Surprise, in particular a second lane of traffic in each direction, will likely be determined by the development along the road after Rancho Mercado — including communities like Tierra Verde.
“The second lane will likely be the result of ongoing development by the property owners adjacent to Happy Valley Road. Timing will be determined by that development,” Mr. Boyd stated. “Altamira and Verdugo will not be involved as they don’t touch Happy Valley. Tierra Verde will contribute. The remainder are yet to be determined subdivisions and individual property owners.”
Richard Smith Associate Editor | Surprise & West Valley Preps @rsmithYWV
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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