Cochise County outlines road and bridge projects, schedules public hearing on adding or dropping county roads

Cochise County engineers told the Board of Supervisors at a Sept. 30 work session that a slate of road and bridge projects tied to freight access and safety are advancing through design and scoping, and that the county will hold a public hearing on Nov. 6 about potentially adding or dropping county-maintained roads.

Jack, Cochise County engineer, said Davis Road — where the county has analyzed drainage since the mid-2000s — is being redesigned to address flooding and to add 8-foot shoulders from Central Highway to State Highway 191. He said the county must obtain new NEPA clearance, expects plans to be updated in 2026, and that construction is expected to begin the following year. "We should have those plans updated 2026 and then construction starting next year," Jack said.

Jack said the Davis Road work includes realigning a sharp curve near milepost 5 and installing drainage structures to keep the road passable during high flows. He said right-of-way for the two identified locations already exists and that the project is funded in part by a grant and HEERF funds (amounts discussed in the meeting; see clarifying details).

The county presented additional projects: Mohsin Road (7.8 miles), for which the county has 60 percent design and a $6,100,000 grant; a planned spot improvement at Garden Canyon Road; and James Ranch Road, where the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has contributed about $27.5 million but county staff said ADOT needs roughly $20 million more to finish final design. Jack said the James Ranch project will be advanced toward an ADOT intergovernmental agreement (IGA) the county expects to bring to the board in November.

County staff also described changes to a previously advertised design for the commercial port of entry. Jack said an earlier concept design that included two roundabouts (and an $87 million cost estimate) has been revised: roundabouts are being removed, the Government Services Administration (GSA) access point will move to the northeast corner of the site, and the port entrance will be two inbound and two outbound lanes. Jack said the county will send a correction letter to stakeholders and that he plans to discuss the change with ADOT and other partners at an upcoming transportation summit.

Bridge and drainage work were a major focus. Staff reported scoping and grant activity for Whitewater Draw (Rucker Road), Leslie Canyon Bridge, Middlemarch Bridge (Pierce Road), and other off-system bridges. Jack said the county completed a bridge analysis of 61 county bridges inspected by ADOT and is developing a 20-year replacement plan. He noted more than 300 FEMA crossing locations on county-maintained roads that could need improvements.

On Turkey Creek, staff said past failures of a downstream diversion and erosion (scour) had washed material away and threatened bridge footings. Jack said the county is coordinating with the local natural resources conservation district (NRCD) and consultants to design natural-gravity solutions and scour protections to stabilize the channel and protect the structure.

Staff outlined a Leslie Canyon box culvert project the county can design in-house to address a 10-ton load limit that forces a 35-mile detour for residents who receive hauled water. Jack said design and scoping work will determine whether bridges are replaced outright or whether large box culverts or other solutions are more cost-effective.

County staff said they will mail postcards to property owners listed on roads under consideration — "We will be sending postcards to the residents that are affected by either adding or dropping a road," Jack said — and estimated more than 4,000 property owners will be notified. He recommended the board consider holding the Nov. 6 hearing at a larger venue given the expected turnout and said the county will provide updated PowerPoint slides and logistics information for the hearing.

Board members raised concerns about freight routing and local impacts. Supervisor Crosby asked whether improvements would increase truck traffic through Tombstone and up toward Benson; staff said routing depends on multiple factors including state highway projects and port traffic. Supervisors also asked about the scale and feasibility of roundabouts, local flood zones that complicate larger intersection designs, and previous single-vehicle bridge damages that limited replacements to one-lane structures under insurance settlements.

Staff indicated next steps: finalize NEPA clearance for Davis Road, complete remaining designs (some at 60 percent), advance ADOT IGAs where required, continue bridge scoping and off-system bridge grant applications, coordinate with NRCD on Turkey Creek scour protection, and present an engineered five-year transportation plan in December. The board did not take formal votes during the work session.

The county said it will return to the board with more detailed budgets, funding sources and timelines as projects move from scoping and design to construction.