On Sept. 26, engineers and consultants hired by Yavapai County as part of a potential project called Verde Connect met with Verde Valley residents at the Cottonwood Recreation Center.
They came with a presentation of potential plans for a new road connecting State Route 260 and Cornville Road.
“We want to improve existing and future safety, mobility and connectivity for this area,” said Troy Sieglitz, from Jacobs Engineering, at the start of the presentation. Sieglitz also pointed to economic development as another reason for a potential roadway, and expressed a desire to ensure that any construction remains environmentally conscious and does not interfere with the natural beauty of the area.
Yavapai County Public Works Director Dan Cherry added to what Sieglitz said by pointing to concerns about congestion with the current road system, and the need for alternate routes in the case of traffic problems. He especially focused on emergency response in the area.
“If there were another connection across the river, it could substantially reduce that amount of travel time for emergency response,” Cherry said. He also pointed to the benefit of having a way around if accidents occurred on Interstate 17.
Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison said that while the county has been considering this kind of roadway for a while, the high cost of building a new crossing over the Verde River has made it impossible to do so cheaply. This effort has been sparked by the potential of a federal grant for $25 million, which would pay for the necessary Verde River bridge, and leave the county only having to find funds for the additional $10 million.
“The county cannot fund a bridge,” Garrison said. “But I think we’re pretty close to funding the rest of the way ourselves.” Garrison feels confident that the county’s application for the federal grant money is strong and hopes it will be funded. The county will find out in December. As of right now, the county does not have an alternative source for funding if the federal grant goes through.
“It definitely 100 percent depends on getting funding,” said Kristen Darr, public information officer for the Verde Connect project. In the meantime, the county has paid for the Verde Connect study to look at how much a new road would cost, where it could go, and what the traffic and economic impacts of the new roadway would be. “We are conducting the study as if we’re going to be eligible for federal funds.”
Part of that study includes public involvement. Garrison, as well as the project leaders, say that they have gotten at least tentative support from all the relevant communities, as well as the Yavapai-Apache Nation, whose land the new road would likely go right through. The project leaders have set up a website, VerdeConnect. com, where residents of the area can submit answers to a survey about their priorities and concerns about a new roadway, as well as mark on a map where they think a road should go.
“We’re not doing this in a box,” Cherry said. “We want to make sure it’s an open and collaborative process.”
In addition, the presenters asked the public for input at the meeting on Sept. 26. Several in attendance came with concerns.
“I noticed that a couple of your routes are emptying into Beaverhead Flat Road right there,” said one woman at the meeting. “Has anybody taken into consideration that that is already being impacted with traffic going into Sedona? I’ve heard that it is already backed up on weekends and tourist season.”
One Middle Verde resident complained that he did not want more access to his area.
“The reason I choose to live there is because of the solitude, because it’s quiet, because of the tranquility. I don’t want a highway coming through Middle Verde. I definitely don’t want it coming through my private property.”
The presenters insisted that the full plans for the roadway are far from completed, and that any decision will take into account the various issues raised by the public.
“We were very pleased with the turnout and really appreciated the dialogue with the residents off the area that had questions and concerns,” Darr said. “It’s so early in the project that it’s more of data gathering right now. Those areas where people have concerns are helpful for us to know.”
“You don’t want to impact somebody in a negative manner,” said Garrison. “The day of finding a corridor that has zero impact on somebody are over.”
But Garrison feels that the county will be able to find a route for the new road that is conscientious to most neighbors, where the benefits far outweigh the downsides.
“At some point you have to weigh the good of all against the unfortunate impact on a few.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
