PRESCOTT - The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors Monday gave County Public Works director Phil Bourdon the go-ahead to design a connecting road between Chino Valley and Highway 89A.
The Great Western Road and Road 5 South corridors and Highway 89A interchange are part of what state and county highway officials envision as a regional traffic corridor between I-17 and I-40.
With approval of Bourdon's request to proceed with a design concept report, engineers will begin drawing plans for a road starting at Highway 89A west of Glassford Hill Road, over a dirt path some people call Great Western Road and connecting to Road 5 South east of Chino Valley.
Road 5 South ultimately would connect to Williamson Valley Road. Great Western Road would continue north and merge with the future Chino Valley Extension.
The road corridor traverses David Cavan's 15,000 acres. He wrote to the Supervisors on April 3 that he objected to a free-flow interchange off Highway 89A and limited access route with specific on-and-off interchanges.
Bourdon said he will be able to estimate the cost of the project during the design concept phase and will go to the Arizona Department of Transportation with the idea of sharing the building costs.
"There is no way we can do this on our own," Board Chairwoman Carol Springer said. Part of the goal of a design concept report, Bourdon said, is to "flush out" issues of design, alignment and stakeholder objections.
"All that comes out in the DCR," Bourdon said. "It is time to move forward and get the environmental clearances and define the controlled access corridor."
"I agree that it is time to get going on this," Supervisor Chip Davis said. "The longer we wait it will only get worse. New owners will come in and create new boundaries."
Contact the reporter at bcolbert@prescottaz.com
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, May 08, 2008
Article comment by:
Dan S.
The "Great Western Road" appears to serve no purpose in moving traffic from I-17 to I-40. Clearly, the purpose of this boondoggle is to open up more land for development, at the taxpayer's expense. Just look at the map... what else can one deduce? And we are all supposed to be stupid enough to fall for this. Stinks, stink, stinks. Seems Carol (I Got Some Land For Sale) Springer wants to shove this down our throats, and has brought her buddies from The State in on it, for some clout. Stinks even more.
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Article comment by:
Tom Steele
Traffic wise, it makes no sense. I agree with D. Keraney, it appears to be a public project to open up more Land Baron property for development. Sup. Springer took Williamson Valley Road from 3 lane to 5 lane and fast tracked the project for who? Not the residents of WV unless you highlight the Land Barons. Also, Wouldn't the design make more sense to extend off of Glassford Hill at 89A North? This project just smells bad.
Posted: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Article comment by:
Publius
The failure to consider widening Hwy 89 for this I-17 to I-40 connector reveals a clear agenda on the part of the BoS which agenda must certainly serve private (v. the public) interests. How stupid and wasteful it would be for us, the taxpayers, to permit the BoS to launch such a bad idea of a project.
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
tfraser
How long will it take FANN to semi finish this project? 10 years?
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
Joanne
We know the road opens up access to land for development (and serves those already there). Let's keep in mind how important it is for us to make public comments about our concerns with our loss of open space and sustainable water supplies - write letters, speak at meetings.
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
Doug Kearney
I agree with Ron. I also would like to know why an expanded Highway 89 would not accommodate the projected increased traffic. I would suspect that the new road is to support the development of all of the open space between Chino Valley, Prescott and Prescott Valley. Kiss the Antelope good bye
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
BoBo
Feel free to take you sweet time with this project (lol).
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
A Prescottonian
"I agree that it is time to get going on this," Supervisor Chip Davis said. "The longer we wait it will only get worse. New owners will come in and create new boundaries." It is statements such as these that we need new leadership in our county!
Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Article comment by:
Ron
I thought it was a good Idea until I heard Carol Springer's name. Now I wonder what devious development plans are involved.
