Scottsdale council votes to redesign Scottsdale Road/Dynamite intersection from roundabout to signal; staff warned funding risk

The Scottsdale City Council on April 8 voted to redesign the Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Boulevard intersection from a planned multilane roundabout to a signalized intersection and directed the interim city manager to return to council with any necessary budget transfers and contract modifications.

The council majority approved the measure after several hours of public comment and technical staff presentation, with transportation staff cautioning the change could jeopardize federal grant funding and add months to the project timeline.

“The action before you is related to the potential redesign of the intersection,” said Allison Timkew, transportation and infrastructure senior director, during a staff presentation that described the two-mile Scottsdale Road reconstruction project, drainage improvements, sidewalks and medians and the original roundabout design. Timkew told council staff estimate it would take about eight months to redesign the intersection and that traffic-signal equipment procurement typically requires about nine months.

Why it matters: The intersection redesign is one element of a $40‑million‑plus corridor reconstruction that also includes flood mitigation, curb and gutter, medians and multiuse paths. Council members and many residents framed the decision as weighing local preference and driver behavior against engineers’ safety recommendations and the risk of losing federal funding.

Staff summary and schedule: Timkew said federal surface transportation…