Staff lays out Plant Road/Poston Butte Loop plan to ease traffic, boost access and support growth
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Summary
Public works presented a multi-project ‘Poston Butte Loop’ concept tying a Plant Road crossing to Hunt Highway and SR-79 to create redundancy, shorten emergency response times and open land for commercial use; staff proposed public-private partnerships and a request-for-innovation to explore funding.
Public works staff on Jan. 13 presented a sweeping transportation concept centered on a Plant Road low-flow crossing and an interconnected Poston Butte Loop that would link multiple corridors around Florence and provide redundancy for a town facing rising traffic.
Public Works Director Andy Smith showed aerials and described how a Plant Road crossing over the Gila River could connect to Hunt Highway and, farther east, to Pinnell Parkway (State Route 79), forming a loop that would ease congestion, shorten emergency-response distances and allow development to better access the town’s commercial areas. “When you look at Plant Road… it provides us with the connection to Hunt Highway,” Smith said, describing a program-of-projects approach.
Smith proposed issuing a request for information or a request for innovation to invite private-sector ideas and public-private partnership options, including in-kind contributions from aggregate operators working nearby — for example, using mined material to build the roadway — or leasing mining rights under a revenue-sharing agreement. The presentation referenced existing town-owned parcels and opportunities to leverage local aggregate and private investment.
Councilors asked about alignment and whether a crossing would serve Main Street businesses as well as Anthem commercial areas. Some members noted right-of-way and railroad coordination challenges and the need to sequence projects with the county and state. Council members expressed broad support for staff continuing design work and outreach, with the mayor describing the proposal as consistent with the town’s long-discussed connectivity priorities.
Staff did not request immediate funding for construction; instead, the presentation sought direction to pursue concept design, preliminary scopes and private-sector engagement. The council indicated consensus for staff to continue developing the plan and return with scopes and potential funding options.
