(GILBERT, AZ.) – At the recent town council meeting, the council was presented with an unusual last-minute opportunity to accept a BUILD grant that would require a 20% match from the town’s transportation budget.
The grant was presented by Transportation Planning Manager Jason Hanfer, who stated that the department had been putting together the details to present the grant to the council for upwards of three to four weeks.
Photo Credit: Teri Tracy
Council members heard the proposal, which included a study of Hunt Hwy intended to explore possibilities such as expanding the road to Val Vista Rd. and improving the corridor itself to expand narrower portions.
The grant would include a whopping $1,006,520, and would require the town to contribute what amounts to around $200,000 on the project.
The time constraint: the council was forced to make a decision and vote on the agenda item the same day they first learned of it. The submission deadline for the grant was Feb. 24, leaving no time for the council to hear public comment on the matter or to further consider the pros and cons of such an undertaking.
Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni immediately questions the scope and overall cost of the project, its potential benefits, and the construction costs that may ensure should the study turn up areas of improvement that would be addressed immediately after completion of the initial study.
“I’m just trying to figure out, myself, the need for this,” Bongiovanni states, “I know it’s considered ‘free money’ from the government, but we also will have a 20% match if needed in 2027, which is a very difficult budget year for us.”
He expressed his distaste for not having sufficient time to analyze the details of the grant before making a decision.
“I’m wondering if there’s a need for Hunt Hwy to go all the way to Recker Rd,” he says, “I feel like we should put up a big sign that says, ‘you’re welcome Queen Creek’.”
In an email to OpGov, Bongiovanni states “I was the lone NO vote. It came up quickly, we knew about it for 3 weeks. I don't agree that we didn't vote whether we even wanted Hunt Highway to be extended. There is no potential for commercial, either, south or north of the road.”
“If the study says yes, it is viable, it would still cost tens of millions to build the road. Completely not interested in this and was surprised more on the Council didn't agree with me,” he adds.
Council member Jim Torgeson queries after the timing of the grant and subsequent projects as they pertain to the current CIP plans.
“I’m actually curious where this sits in the CIP projects. Is this something scheduled, coming up soon, or is it ten years down the line?” he asks.
Hanfer clarifies that both segments of the project are indeed within the CIP, but one segment had been rescheduled. The grant will help decide if the delayed project is feasible in the future. He also explains the current complications within the current corridor that are problematic.
“There’s the mountain, there’s two canals, and there’s also coordination with the Gila River Indian Community to the South. There’s also right-of-way concerns to the North. It’s a very narrow location, the amount of right-of-way the town has,” Hanfer says.
He states that the study intends to verify what’s feasible as far as planning, and what design could look like.
Council member Bobbi Buchli supports the idea, citing the immense traffic flow issues that plague the Hunt Hwy area leading into Queen Creek.
“I live out there, and the traffic traveling in right now because we’re trying to open Ocotillo Rd is just incredible. It’s like the freeway,” she says, “I'm all for that because we need to fix that. We need to open that up because it's only going to get worse.”
Photo Credit: YouTube / Town of Gilbert
Ultimately, after further deliberation and questions from the council, the grant was approved on a 6-1 vote with Bongiovanni voting “no”.
To add to or correct any information within this report, please contact me at tracy.t@lead4earth.org and leave a comment below.
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