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1 City Council Report Date: August 17, 2026 To: City Council Through: Marc Heirshberg, Assistant City Manager From: Erik Guderian, Transportation Department Director Stephan Bach, City Traffic Engineer Subject: Modify Speed Limits Ellsworth Road, Elliot Road to South City Limits (Council District 6) Purpose and Recommendation The intent of this report is to modify the speed limit on Ellsworth Road from Elliot Road to south City limits. Recent development along this 5-mile stretch of Ellsworth Road has significantly altered corridor characteristics, traffic patterns, and roadside activity levels. The roadway now supports a wide range of mixed-use commercial, industrial, and data center facilities, as well as major recreational and residential destinations including the Arizona Athletic Grounds and the Eastmark and Cadence communities. An active capital improvement project is also underway to widen Ellsworth Road to a continuous six-lane arterial cross section between Germann Road and Ray Road. Based on the roadway characteristics, developing land-use context, active projects to build out the roadway cross-section, and consistency with typical arterial speed limits in the City of Mesa, staff recommends reducing the posted speed limit from 50 mph to 45 mph on Ellsworth Road from Elliot Road to the south City limits. The reduced speed limit will better match current and projected operating conditions and provide a consistent speed environment north of Elliot Road and throughout surrounding arterial corridors. See Figure 1 for a location map Background and Discussion Historically, Ellsworth Road from Elliot Road to the south City limits has been posted at 50 mph due to its previously undeveloped surroundings and more rural roadway characteristics. Over the past several years, however, the area has experienced rapid development and continued growth, including industrial and commercial uses, large data center campuses, the Arizona Athletic Grounds, and major residential communities such as Eastmark and Cadence. These land uses contribute to higher, sustained traffic volumes, increased turning movements, and greater destinations 2 along the corridor. The corridor also includes the Ellsworth Rd and SR-24 interchange which introduces high turning movement demand and access to the region’s state highway system. Additionally, the ongoing capital improvement project to widen Ellsworth Road between Germann Road and Ray Road to a six-lane arterial cross section will further urbanize the corridor and create roadway conditions more consistent with other 45- mph arterials in the City of Mesa. Currently, Ellsworth Road has a posted speed limit of 50 mph from Elliot Road to the south City limits per Section 10-4-2 of the Mesa City Code. To implement the recommended 45-mph speed limit, these boundaries will be removed from Section 10-4-2, and the new 45-mph speed limit will be established by Ordinance and amendment of Section 10-4-3 of the Mesa City Code. The proposed amendment would establish a posted speed limit of 45 mph on Ellsworth Rd from north City limits to south City limits. Coordination On January 20th, 2026, the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) reviewed the proposed speed limit modification for Ellsworth Road and concurred with staff’s recommendation to reduce the speed limit from 50 mph to 45 mph on Ellsworth Road between Elliot Road to south City limits. Alternatives One alternative is to maintain the existing 50-mph speed limit. However, considering the significant corridor development, increased roadway activity, presence of the SR- 24 interchange, and typical arterial speed limits citywide, a 45-mph speed limit is the most appropriate and reasonable option. Fiscal Impact The installation of speed limit signs between Ray Road and south City limits is included in the active Ellsworth Road Widening project. For the remainder of the corridor, from Ray Road to Elliot Road, the approximate cost to replace 16 speed limit signs is less than $1,000 and is not considered a contingent factor for this type of change. Germann Rd Town of Queen Creek SR-24 SR-202 Pecos Rd Pecos Rd Ray Rd Warner Rd Elliot Rd Williams Field Rd Crismon Rd Sossaman Rd Signal Butte Rd Proposed 45 mph Speed Limit Existing 45 mph Speed Limit Existing 45 mph Speed Limit City of Mesa Ellsworth Rd 6