Queen Creek’s infrastructure is struggling to keep up as population booms

QUEEN CREEK – Almost 20 years ago, Queen Creek received its first permanent stoplight, marking a significant step in its rapid growth. Today, amid growing public concern about traffic congestion, the town  is trying to decide its next significant step in transportation infrastructure.

When that stoplight was installed on Nov. 6, 2006, Queen Creek’s population boom was already beginning. However, the town that once was a rural afterthought exploded in the next decade. Its population grew  126% between 2010 and 2020, and now sits at just under 90,000. With the increase in population and development came an increase in demand for better infrastructure to support it, and the city has been playing catch-up ever since.

A trip to downtown Phoenix can take 90 minutes during rush hour.

Julian Dresang, deputy public works director of transportation for Queen Creek, said the town has poured millions of dollars over the last 10 years into trying to keep up with demand, but improvement is not a quick process.

“One of the hard parts about construction is we can’t just do it overnight, right?” he said. “So when we decide we’re going to do a project, we have to plan that project, design that project, then construct that project. So, it’s frustrating.”

On top of the need to address roads, Queen Creek also lacks public transportation. For Foster Murray, a Walmart employee who doesn’t drive, it means commuting to and from work can be a challenge.

“It does make things a little difficult, because you really have to rely on Uber and Lyft and rideshare apps to get around, which can add up,” they said.

While city officials are aware of the topic, the current population density as well as a large public sentiment against introduction of public transportation has kept their focus on improving the roadways, Dresang said.

“I think as the town continues to grow, continues to develop at that density, at some point in the future, it might make more sense,” he said. “But right now, the best investment we feel is to invest in our current road system.”

Queen Creek’s population is far from the only people its infrastructure services. The recently incorporated town of San Tan Valley, as well as several other large communities in Pinal County, use roads such as Ellsworth, Ironwood and State Route 24 as the gateway to the Phoenix metro area. This congests the roadways to an even greater extent.  Ellsworth alone sees over 50,000 vehicles per day.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has a potential solution in the pipeline, but it is still years from fruition. The proposed  State Route 505 would be a north-south corridor stretching from U.S. 60 at Houston Avenue to Interstate 10 in Eloy, a connection spanning about 55 miles. The proposal would give Pinal County a much more efficient roadway to Maricopa County and would likely remove much of the congestion in Queen Creek. 

The catch: The proposal is still in the earliest stages, and still has not sought funding for design or construction, ADOT spokesman Garin Groff said. In fact, it could be completely abandoned if it isn’t recommended to ADOT officials by the end of 2027.

“It is important to note that when we have a selected alternative, one of the possibilities we always put out there is a no-build alternative, or a do-nothing,” Groff said.

No timeline exists for the potential freeway to be started, he said.

For now, residents such as AAMCO employee Sara Wall will continue to have to battle traffic congestion, while the city and ADOT work on solutions. For her, it is getting difficult to grapple with.

“It seems like there’s just no rhyme or reason to it,” she said. “It seems like they don’t really have a good organized plan.”

Dresang has a message for those who are feeling unheard: “20 years ago, we had one traffic signal. Now, we have nearly 100. So understanding, looking back at that growth, we’re a much different place than we were.”

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