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Pinal homeowners upset over freeway proposals
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Routes proposed by the Arizona Department of Transportation for the future Williams Gateway freeway have angered many homeowners in Pinal County who say their neighborhoods and schools could be paved over by the massive public works project.
No easy answers in setting Gateway freeway route
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Queen Creek officials, however, have shown tentative signs of support for a corridor that could crowd residences in Pinal County.
The reason, they say, is simple. A connector from Loop 202 to U.S. 60 would serve the booming population in Pinal County best if it dipped south into the county east of Queen Creek.
"It would do the most to improve transportation circulation in northern Pinal County," said Wayne Balmer, a head planner with the town. "That's why people have liked it."
Some people, that is. The town's transportation advisory board and the planning and zoning board recently endorsed a corridor that runs mainly north to south before cutting over east and joining U.S. 60 at Florence Junction.
However, local residents recently caught wind of the proposal and found out that two of the four corridors proposed by ADOT could pave over or bisect communities in northeast Pinal County.
Residents say they were surprised about what that could mean for their communities. A recent forum held by residents to protest some of the corridors drew more than 500 people.
"Everyone we talked to was misinformed or not informed at all," said Julia MacDougall, who owns a 10-acre mini-horse ranch in one of the corridors.
Since then, Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith has stated opposition to two corridors that could impact Pinal County homes and schools.
Mark Young, a governmental liaison for Queen Creek, said that the Town Council is holding back on making any endorsement.
The list of routes could be narrowed down during the next year, according to ADOT officials.
A freeway near Queen Creek could give the town valuable freeway frontage as it grows in the future. That could help alleviate chronic traffic problems in the county, and attract retail, office and other employment opportunities.
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