Phoenix Street Transportation Department staff on Dec. 9 presented two restriping options for Sweetwater Avenue between 24th and 28th streets and invited resident feedback on bike lanes, parking location and traffic-calming measures.

The project team said the pavement will receive an overlay next summer and the city is using the paving window to consider restriping. "This policy requires that we design streets with walking, biking, transit, and driving in mind so that we're really thinking about all the different ways people get around Phoenix," said Leticia Vargas, Deputy Director for the Design and Construction Management Division, framing the project within the city's 2017 Complete Streets policy.

Brandy Rourke, the project's civil engineer and manager, presented two options. Option A would keep the existing configuration — one travel lane in each direction with time-of-day parking that can allow parked cars in the bike lane at some hours. Option B would narrow travel lanes and re-stripe the roadway to widen bike lanes while preserving parking on only one side of the street; "Option B would provide the designated parking lane on the south side of the street," Rourke said, and confirmed "parking allowed 24 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." Staff said the roadway is 40 feet wide, which limits the ability to add parking on both sides while meeting standard lane widths.

Traffic staff argued lane narrowing could improve safety. "The narrowing of the traffic lanes can actually have a... inherent traffic calming [impact]," said Jorge Riveros, Deputy Director of Traffic Services, adding that the project would not change intersection operations but can reduce speeding along the segment.

Residents at the meeting pressed for stronger safety measures and clearer next steps. Josh Parker, a local resident and traffic engineer who uses the route, said the 25 mph speed limit was a welcome change and urged more protection for cyclists, noting nearby segments with protected, buffered lanes appear to be working. "The street has been had its speed limits reduced to 25 mile an hour," Parker said, and supported narrowing travel lanes to calm traffic.

Longtime resident Skyler recounted crashes on the corridor and urged action to protect children and school crossings. "I've seen the accident on 28th Street where, unfortunately, a death happened," Skyler said, and called for measures that would slow vehicles.

Staff reiterated limits of the current project and the separate process for traffic-calming construction. Leticia and Jorge explained that traffic-calming features such as speed humps and cushions are available through a resident-driven petition program and that physical traffic-calming installations typically require evaluation, design and dedicated funding; chicanes generally need more roadway width and are not offered through the traditional program. Jorge said the city would provide information to residents about the petition process.

On requests about moving parking to the north side, staff said the outreach is intended to gather precisely that preference. Rourke said the project team will consider strong public support for either north- or south-side parking when finalizing design, but that widening the roadway is not part of this overlay project. Staff also explained curb ramps were replaced as part of the overlay preparation to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The city recorded the meeting and will post the video and materials online. The project survey opened the night of the meeting and will remain available through Jan. 4; staff said they expect to make a decision in 2026 after reviewing public input and then proceed with paving in the summer.

No formal votes or ordinances were taken at the meeting; staff said the next step is to review the survey results and public comments before finalizing the striping plan.