ADOT outlines SR 260 Lion Springs reconstruction, SR 87 resurfacing and McLean roundabout for Payson

March 3, 2025 — Representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT) North Central District gave Payson Town Council an update on highway projects and traffic signal timing work that will affect traffic and construction in and near the town.

ADOT assistant district engineers and the district administrator described project scopes, schedules and high-level budgets. The agency said the largest project in the presentation, the SR 260 Lion Springs reconstruction and widening, has a construction budget of about $109 million, is on schedule to advertise in late 2025 and is slated to begin construction in 2026. ADOT described the work as multi-segment, designed to improve capacity, traffic flow and safety and noted three planned wildlife crossings within the project limits.

ADOT project staff also described a pavement rehabilitation project on State Route 87 through Payson. The town segment will be a mill-and-fill pavement rehabilitation with associated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb ramp and driveway improvements. The construction budget for SR 87 work through town is just under $20 million; construction is expected to start this summer for concrete and ADA work, with paving likely in 2026. ADOT said nighttime lane restrictions will be used to minimize daytime impacts and that special events and holidays will be coordinated with the town.

A separate project will construct a single-lane roundabout at McLean Road and Longhorn Road; ADOT said the project budget is about $1.6 million and construction is targeted for 2026. ADOT said right-of-way and utility coordination work is underway with town staff.

On traffic signal timing, ADOT's regional traffic engineer, Ryan Wolf, summarized a multi-year effort that began with field data collection in 2022 and led to new coordinated timing plans in 2023 and refinements in 2024. ADOT reported an overall 7—% reduction in travel time on the coordinated corridor between Main Street and Manzanita in 2024 relative to 2022/2023 baselines after removing two side-street signals (Malibu Drive and Forest Avenue) from the coordination plan to reduce side-street delays. ADOT said future improvements beyond timing will require geometric changes to intersections and additional arterial capacity, which will be considered when corners are redeveloped or funding and right-of-way become available.

Council members asked whether the Green Valley Parkway intersection and the northbound-to-eastbound (87 to 260) right-turn lane had been studied; ADOT said the Green Valley intersection is complex and does not integrate well with the current signal coordination plan but will be addressed in planning and in the town's traffic impact studies for connected road projects. ADOT said a prior corridor study had looked at the dual right-turn alternative and noted that geometric changes require competing statewide funding and right-of-way work.

Ending: ADOT officials said the projects are in development and will proceed through design, environmental clearance and right-of-way work before reaching construction; the agency encouraged the council and residents to monitor the North Central District project page and noted a public comment meeting later this year related to the statewide five-year program.