Florence staff propose Plant Road extension with low‑flow Gila River crossing, seek private partners

Town engineers outlined a proposal to extend Plant Road about one mile from Butte on the south side, across the Gila River, to tie into Hunt Highway on the north side. Public Works Director Andy Smith said the route would improve connections between the north and original parts of Florence and assist emergency response, commerce and access to downtown.

Smith explained the crossing concept as a "low‑flow" design such as a culvert or box culvert that would allow passage after common storms but could be overtopped during exceptional floods and then cleared. "…it basically would be the to what kind of structure a culvert or a box culvert or some kind of a passageway," Smith said, describing tradeoffs between cost and all‑weather reliability.

Public‑private partnership approach: Town staff said they plan to issue requests for information or innovation and have contacted Arizona Rock Products and the local chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) to explore partnerships. Smith said the town owns property near Plant Road that could be leveraged for material supply or leased to aggregate companies in exchange for assistance constructing the crossing.

Why it matters: The extension would provide a second crossing between the north and south parts of Florence and address persistent connectivity concerns in the Anthem area and beyond. Staff emphasized the concept is at an early stage and will require design, hydrology review and funding approvals.

Next steps: The council gave work‑session direction to pursue the concept; staff will continue outreach to potential private partners and prepare planning and engineering materials as funding opportunities arise.