Surprise outlines $100M+ in roadway construction, signals and school‑safety upgrades

At a Feb. 18 Surprise City Council work session, the city’s transportation team presented an update showing more than $100 million in roadway work currently under construction, roughly $10 million in projects under design and about $7.5 million in signal projects underway or in design.

The presentation listed bond and developer projects across the city — including major widening and intersection work on Cactus Road, the 160th Avenue corridor, Happy Valley Road, Elm Street and Waddell Road — and identified regional highway improvements tied to ADOT and MAG such as interim US‑60 improvements and future grade separations at State Route 303 and 160th Avenue.

Why it matters: councilmembers emphasized the projects’ role in reducing congestion on east–west and north–south corridors, improving emergency access in the far north portion of the city, and addressing pedestrian and school‑zone safety where student crossings occur.

Key project highlights

Transportation staff (Eric) told the council the city currently has “over a hundred million dollars in roadway improvements under construction” and roughly $10 million in projects under design. Major items cited included:

- Cactus Road (Cotton Lane to Reems; “Big Cactus”) — full widening, signals, curb/gutter, sidewalks; construction began March 2024 with anticipated completion in December 2025. - Cactus Road (Litchfield to BNSF; “Little Cactus”) — half mile widening and rail‑crossing safety work; construction started October 2024 and is expected to wrap by end of 2025. - 160th Avenue corridor widening and intersection work — phased openings already delivered (a second lane to Pat Tillman opened in March 2024) and additional lanes feeding the Happy Valley signal were described as opening late March or early April. - Elm Street developer‑led corridor improvements, and Waddell Road widening and other bond projects slated for design and 2027 construction starts depending on right‑of‑way and bond timing.

Regional coordination and costs

Staff described coordinated improvements at US‑60 and the SR‑303 interchange that were funded with state appropriations and noted the city has a sequence of ADOT/MAG projects affecting Surprise, including a US‑60/SR‑303 ultimate interchange and a 160th Avenue grade separation. Eric gave ballpark costs: a quarter‑mile emergency access project cost about $2 million; a half‑mile widening on Waddell was on the order of $8 million.

School‑zone and pedestrian safety

Councilmembers raised pedestrian and school‑crossing concerns in several neighborhoods. Councilmember Duffy pressed for stronger crossings near schools and said, “I don’t trust a kid to anticipate how fast 35 miles an hour is.” Staff described how school zones and crossing treatments follow Arizona Revised Statutes, ADOT guidance and MUTCD engineering judgment; staff also said they will explore pedestrian hawk signals and will follow up with Dysart Unified School District about crossing‑guard staffing and safe‑routes‑to‑school opportunities.

Operations and maintenance

The transportation update also covered routine work: the city’s pavement‑preservation program (crack sealing, resurfacing and reconstruction lane‑mile counts), traffic‑signal preventive maintenance, BlueStake utility marking for work near signals, and a high volume of approved traffic‑control plans tied to development and construction activity.

Ending

Councilmembers thanked staff for the update and urged continued coordination with ADOT and MAG as regional projects advance. Staff said they will return with project updates, timelines for bond projects and follow up on school‑crossing measures and any grant opportunities for safe‑routes work.