Project Description - Watson.docx

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BUILD FY26 Project Description 
Project Description 
The project will construct a multi-modal bridge over connectivity barriers: an irrigation canal 
and railroad tracks, using community and stakeholder engagement for the benefit of a historically 
disadvantaged community (HDC). The bridge will connect the HDC to employment and 
economic prosperity by means of vehicle, walking, bicycling, and rolling. The mitigation of the 
burdening transportation facility will also improve economic opportunities, air pollution, reduce 
environmental harm, and improve community accessibility and safety for the disadvantaged 
communities in Buckeye.  
a) Overview 
Introduction  
The area today known as Buckeye was originally inhabited by the Hohokam civilization between 
the years 200 and 1450. The Hohokam are thought to have abandoned the area due to an 
extensive drought with an estimated duration from 1276 to 1299. The first current-day settlement 
was established in 1885, by a group looking to develop an irrigation ditch. In 1922, the Buckeye 
Water Conservation and Drainage District was established, and the 28-mile canal is still 
operating to this day.  
In 1910, the railroad tracks, that are still in existence today, running from Phoenix through 
Buckeye and west into California, were constructed. The irrigation canal and the railroad tracks 
run parallel to each other within close proximity, east to west through Buckeye.  
Up until 2000, the downtown area of Buckeye was the center of population, which was estimated 
at 6,537 at that time. The downtown area of Buckeye is located south of both the railroad tracks 
and the irrigation canal. Since 2000, the majority of the commercial, industrial, retail, and 
residential growth has occurred north of the railroad tracks and the irrigation canal. This 
development includes the following employers just north of the railroad tracks and canal. In mid-
2000, Walmart opened a distribution center, which is currently estimated to have around 1500 
employees. Next to Walmart is Cardinal Glass, with an estimated 200+ employees. Across the 
road from Walmart is Ross Dress for Less distribution center, with an estimated 1,300 new jobs.  
 
Transportation assets have historically focused around commerce. The construction of Interstate 
10 (I-10) from Phoenix to Los Angeles runs through the northern portion of Buckeye and several 
miles north of the historically underserved downtown Buckeye. There is currently only 1 road 
(Miller Road) with an interchange on I-10 that connects directly to downtown Buckeye and is in 
the western portion of the area. The next roadway with an interchange on I-10 that connects to 
the east-west roadway Maricopa County Road 85 (MC85) going through downtown Buckeye is 
5 miles to the east of downtown. There are no roads that directly connect the underserved area to 
the employment centers that are walkable and bicycle accessible due to railroad tracks and an 
irrigation canal that block the downtown residents from the employment opportunities.  
 
Why is all this noteworthy? Because all these employment opportunities for people living to the 
south of the railroad tracks and canal are available only to those who have access to a vehicle. 
According to the USDOT Equitable Transportation Community Explorer mapping tool, 
downtown Buckeye has a population of 11,600 and 100% is determined as disadvantaged with

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38% to 50% of the population in the 2 tracts (507.01 and 507.02) at or below 200% of the federal 
poverty line. The community is 55% to 60% at risk of climate and disaster risk, and 71% to 75% 
at risk of extreme climate change. The community is 69% to 78% environmentally burdened, 
74% to 82% facing health vulnerability, 61% to 79% facing social vulnerability, and the southern 
portion of the community is 66% transportation insecure.  
 
Project History 
Since at least 2000, downtown Buckeye has been the subject of underinvestment and inequity. 
Virtually all new development has occurred north of the railroad tracks and canal. The railroad 
tracks and the canal have become a barrier to equity and economic improvement for the 
downtown area. This is because there are no direct roadways and no non-vehicular pathways of 
transportation available to reach the large employers which are situated north of the railroad 
tracks and the canal. From the downtown area, currently, the shortest distance to the large 
employers is 3.5 to 5.5 miles because there are no access points across the railroad tracks and the 
canal that are in close proximity to the disadvantaged community. The closest access point could 
be by way of Watson Road if the road were to span over the railroad tracks and canal, but 
currently does not. The distance would be under 2 miles from downtown and could allow for 
non-vehicular means of travel to the aforementioned employers if Watson Road were completed 
with a bridge over the railroad tracks and irrigation canal. With new affordable housing 
developments completed in the Downtown area, the transportation issue mentioned is further  
exacerbated. 
 
Transportation Needs 
The Buckeye Watson Road project is entirely located in historically disadvantaged communities. 
The proposed project will construct a pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle bridge over the 
railroad tracks and irrigation canal to connect the downtown historically disadvantaged 
neighborhoods to opportunities of employment and improved prosperity. Also, once Buckeye is 
able to incorporate public transit, there will be transit and transit stops convenient to downtown 
and employment centers. This will serve as a “cornerstone project” for the downtown Buckeye 
area, paving the way for economic and social improvement, equitable community connectivity, 
mobility, safety, and reduced environmental harm. 
 
Safety- This project will provide for new multi-modal pathways for vehicular, pedestrian, 
handicap, and bicycle traffic including a dedicated bike lane within historically disadvantaged 
communities. It will also connect to other pedestrian/bicycle/rolling only pathways along the 
irrigation canal. This provides safer pathways for non-vehicular traffic by separating them from 
vehicular lanes. The overpass nature of this project will separate ground traffic from the railroad 
tracks, eliminating the risk of train versus traffic collisions. Buckeye will be installing Intelligent 
Transportation Systems (ITS), which according to the Department of Transportation, is a national 
program, using computers and communications to make travel safer by providing traveler 
information to give current, multi-modal information on travel conditions to guide choices on 
how, when, and where to travel. It also provides in-vehicle maps and automatic notification for 
emergency services regarding serious accidents and their location. The project also includes 
traffic signals. One study (Do Traffic Lights Make Intersections Safer? | Raipher, P.C.) that 
measured fatalities at intersections without traffic signals versus intersections with traffic signals, 
reported that out of 10,267 fatalities at intersections, only 3,145 took place at intersections with

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traffic signals. Traffic signals generally reduce the severe left turn/angle crashes that result in 
fatalities by indicating which movements have the right-of-way. Per the Buckeye Police 
Department, along Watson Road, there were 147 traffic accidents in 2023 and 202 during 2024. 
Buckeye leverages public health and safety by way of community engagement. News releases 
and social media posts target the entire City to promote traffic safety, warning against the 
negative effects of impaired driving. Future informational publications will highlight the safety 
features of the proposed project, once completed, as identified in the Department’s National 
Roadway Safety Strategy plan. Buckeye uses social media such as Facebook, X, Nextdoor, and 
Instagram to reach all audience demographics. Buckeye also deploys special traffic taskforces to 
encourage safe driving habits and roadway safety.  
To further safety, Watson Road between Southern Avenue and MC 85 (which currently does not 
exist) will have a raised median with streetlights. The median will provide a ‘barrier’ between 
opposing directions of traffic to help prevent head-on collisions due to an errant vehicle or 
inattentive driver. The streetlights will provide the proper roadway illumination to ensure the 
roadway users (vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists) can see anything in or crossing their travel 
path. The median will also have limited breaks for crossing over traffic, thus minimizing 
potential vehicle-vehicle conflict points and increasing the safety of the corridor.  
Traffic signals will be installed at the intersections along Watson Road at MC 85 and Southern 
Avenue. These traffic signals will not only improve the operation of the intersections along the 
Watson Road corridor but will also improve the safety of the corridor. The traffic signals will be 
equipped with advance detection zones to minimize dilemma zone situations for drivers which 
will extend green times as needed to allow vehicles to safely pass through the intersection.  
Proposed Improvements 
The project will bridge the road over two transportation barriers: railroad tracks and an irrigation 
canal. These barriers separate historic disadvantaged downtown Buckeye from employment 
opportunities. The downtown neighborhoods are 64% people of color population and historically 
underserved, and the project completion will restore neighborhood connectivity. The project will 
provide new vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian routes. A Community Advisory Committee was 
established to provide input, feedback, and help guide the equitable implementation of the 
project. Buckeye has also held community in-person meetings to engage the public and gather 
input. The goals of this project are to eliminate the barriers by way of bridging over the barriers 
between Downtown Buckeye and the employment centers, thereby reconnecting residents 
through transportation access, such as walking, rolling, vehicular, and biking.  
 
The project consists of a final design, 110-acre land purchase for right-of-way, and construction 
of a 4-lane road section (2-lanes in each direction separated by a raised median) of S. Watson 
Road from Southern Avenue to MC85, in Buckeye, Arizona. This includes a grade-separated 
multi-modal structure over railroad tracks and an irrigation canal, 2 traffic signals, drainage 
facilities and armoring of the Palo Verde Nuclear Cooling line. The total cost is budgeted at 
$64,953,000, with $25,000,000 requested in federal funds (38%) and a $39,953,000 match from 
the City (62%). Traffic counts along Southern Avenue west of Watson Road are approximately 
15,693 average daily vehicles, while on Watson Road at MC85 average daily traffic counts are 
approximately 9,420 average daily vehicles (Arizona average annual daily traffic 2024 Traffic 
Study). MC85 is a major east-west connector traversing most of the community of Buckeye. 
Railroad tracks and an irrigation canal cut off Watson Road from the southernmost section of

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Watson Road just north of MC85. These two obstacles create a barrier to the surrounding 
disadvantaged community and preclude direct access from MC85 to Watson Road north of these 
two barriers. According to the DOT Grant Project Location Verification mapping tool, this entire 
component is in an area that has been designated as a Federally designated historically 
disadvantaged community census tract. The railroad tracks and the irrigation canal are existing 
barriers in this community that cut off residents from freely traveling back and forth between 
north and south, preventing direct access to employment and community services. The railroad 
tracks and canal create barriers to accessing workplaces, as well as recreation areas, schools, 
banks, a post office, social services, community services, health services, and shopping. The 
extra time and distance it takes vehicles to travel around these barriers creates higher levels of 
pollution to accumulate in the area. Non-vehicular travel around these barriers is difficult to 
impossible. Construction of a multi-modal overpass over the railroad tracks and irrigation canal, 
and completion of the road connecting Watson Road from Southern Avenue to MC85 will 
accommodate vehicular traffic, pedestrians, handicaps, and bicyclists. The project includes 
pedestrian and bicycle paths for non-vehicular transportation.

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