The Ellsworth Road project will improve the flow of traffic and safety on Queen Creek’s most traveled roadway.
Improvements to the roadway were initiated with a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The project coordinates the Town’s improvements with four development related projects along Ellsworth Road. Improvements include softening the curve at Queen Creek Road and widening Ellsworth Road to three lanes in each direction from Walnut to Ryan roads, ultimately to Germann Road.
“As residents of Queen Creek, the Town Council understands road construction is painful – but Town staff and the developers have done an outstanding job creating public/private partnerships to reduce some of that pain,” stated Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney. “As a young, growing community, roadway improvements continue to be a top priority. We appreciate the community’s patience as investments in our infrastructure lead to better roads ahead.”
The project, which will make Ellsworth Road three lanes in both directions all through Queen Creek, is anticipated to be complete in late 2018.
“Not only does Ellsworth Road serve as a major corridor for our residents, it also experiences a high-volume of pass-through traffic,” commented Queen Creek Public Works Director Troy White. “In an effort to mitigate the impact on our residents, we’ve been coordinating closely with Pinal County to delay lane restrictions on Ellsworth until restrictions on Ironwood are clear.”
While the project broke ground on Feb. 14, lane restrictions on Ellsworth Road are not anticipated until April, coordinating with the completion of the Crismon Road extension. The Crismon Road extension from Queen Creek to Germann roads will serve as an additional north-south connector, and an alternate route during construction along Ellsworth Road.
T.Y. Lin completed the design for the Ellsworth Road improvements, with Hunter Contracting conducting the construction. Hunter Contracting will be working to ensure two lanes of travel are maintained on Ellsworth Road during peak travel hours.
The Ellsworth Road project is just one of the improvements in the Town’s infrastructure improvement plan (IIP). The Town Council approved IIP identifies $175 million in roadway needs, adding 91 new lane miles through 41 projects over the next 10 years.
Projects within the IIP are prioritized based on traffic volume and availability of alternate routes. For example, Rittenhouse Road is a high priority based on call volume, but it cannot be widened until the Riggs Road extension is complete. Widening Rittenhouse Road, south of Ocotillo Road, requires expanding the bridge at the Queen Creek Wash to four lanes. Improving the bridge requires a complete closure of Rittenhouse Road, forcing motorists to use an alternate route, which will be the Riggs Road extension. The Rittenhouse Road project, from Village Loop North to Riggs Road, is currently being designed while the final phases of the Riggs Road extension, from Ellsworth to Meridian roads, is anticipated to be complete spring 2019.
The Riggs Road project is being completed in partnership with the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). The Riggs Road corridor will serve as a major access point for the southeast portion of Town, and will help improve transportation throughout Queen Creek.
