The city of Buckeye is looking to the U.S. Department of Transportation to supplement the funding needed to construct two multi-modal bridges and roads that will connect at parts of MC85.
The city council approved the submission of two grant applications to the U.S. DOT Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program: one for a bridge and road connecting Rooks Road from Baseline Road to MC85 and another for a bridge and road connecting Watson Road from Southern to MC85.
The bridge connecting Rooks Road from Baseline Road to MC85 would allow vehicles, walkers, bicyclists and rollers to travel over the irrigation canal and connect Downtown to KORE Power and other workplaces.
The total cost of the project is $18,674,250, and the federal grant portion is $9,337,125 with a $9,337,125 match from the city. It would impact fiscal years 2025 to 2028, and the current fiscal year cost would be $3,112,375.
The Watson Road project will connect residents to Downtown areas of employment, including the Walmart Distribution Center and Ross Warehouse, by way of motor vehicles, rolling, bicycling and walking. The total cost of the project is $64,953,000, and the city of Buckeye is requesting a federal grant to fund half of the cost, or $32,476,500. The city would pay for the rest of the project. The bridge would impact fiscal years 2025-2028, and the current fiscal year cost would be $2.6 million.
“Watson Road is one of the main arterial roadways that connects Downtown Buckeye to the I-10 freeway but is bifurcated by the railroad tracks and the irrigation canal. Connecting Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC85 will increase the community’s ability to access work, shopping, banks and other daily essentials, by way of multiple means of transportation, while also reducing the need for vehicles and reducing air pollution,” the city council action report states.
The completion of the accessibility and connection of both roads would, according to the city, reduce environmental harm, improve air policy and improve community accessibility, economic development and safety.
