MAG study recommends four-lane Pima Road, roundabout at Cave Creek Road; Carefree faces multimillion-dollar share

The Maricopa Association of Governments presented the final Pima Road corridor study to the Carefree Town Council on Oct. 7, recommending a four‑lane divided roadway through the town with a shared‑use path on the east side and a roundabout at the Pima Road–Cave Creek Road intersection.

The study matters because the corridor — the last 4.1‑mile section of Pima Road not previously updated — will serve future development and currently has a history of collisions. "This is the last section of Pima Road that has not been updated or new improvements made to it," Tim Stroh, MAG major projects manager, told the council, noting the study modeled traffic and safety outcomes through 2035 and 2050.

MAG, which paid for the study, presented alternatives and public feedback collected at two public meetings and online surveys. The study team recommended a four‑lane divided cross section (two lanes each direction) with a raised median, bike lanes and a shared‑use path in many areas; at some constrained locations the median and sidewalk alignment could be narrowed to avoid impacts. For the Cave Creek Road intersection, engineers and the public recommended a roundabout because it reduces the number of vehicle conflict points and is projected to provide better safety and operational performance in the study's future scenarios.

Tim Stroh told the council the corridor has had "over 70 crashes in a five‑year period," with roughly 40 crashes concentrated between Stagecoach Pass and Cave Creek Road, and that the study seeks to reduce those crash risks as traffic grows. MAG projected growth on adjacent state land — about 4,000 acres expected to yield roughly 5,000 homes — would greatly increase demand on the corridor if no improvements are made.

The study includes a cost estimate of about $88.7 million for the total corridor. Stroh presented a segment cost allocation that showed the Town of Carefree's share for Segment 4 as $10.4 million and the City of Scottsdale's as $5.8 million. During council discussion, MAG staff and the town's representative also used other figures when describing local funding availability: MAG staff said Carefree currently has roughly $5.525 million in its Arterial Life Cycle Cost Share (ALCP) account and that, under one funding scenario, the town's immediate match would be $2.2 million, yielding $7.5 million available toward an approximately $10 million segment cost. MAG deputy transportation director Patrick Stone noted the regional commitment commonly covers the lesser of 70% of the programmed ALCP amount or the total project cost, and said MAG would continue to work with Carefree and Scottsdale on funding options.

Council members asked whether Carefree could proceed on its own segment if it had funds and was ready; Stroh said that is possible and that staff will meet with Scottsdale and Carefree to discuss sequencing, design leadership and funding. He also said Alternative 2 — centering the roadway within the existing right‑of‑way to minimize property impacts — was the public's preferred alignment (about 90% in favor in the project outreach), and the team recommended it as the preferred approach.

The study does not finalize design or funding. MAG said it will present recommendations to Scottsdale next and then return to finalize the study after stakeholder comment. Council members and MAG staff noted next steps include funding discussions, programming ALCP dollars and advancing design where the town and the city agree on scope and timing.

The council did not take a binding vote on the study; the presentation was for review and comment. MAG leaders asked for the council's direction on the recommended roundabout at Cave Creek Road at a future time, after Scottsdale's review and further local coordination.

Clarifying details: MAG presented two alignment alternatives; Alternative 2 (preferred) centers the widened roadway in the existing right of way to minimize property impacts. The study modeled 2035 and 2050 conditions and found the proposed four‑lane cross section keeps the corridor at acceptable level‑of‑service projections, while the no‑build scenario resulted in severe degradation. Cost estimates are preliminary and the final local obligation will depend on design, right‑of‑way acquisitions and the ALCP funding formula.

The council requested follow‑up coordination with Scottsdale on funding, and MAG staff said they would meet with town staff to identify funding gaps and options before finalizing the study.