State Rep. Jill Norgaard and city Councilman Sal DiCiccio are continuing to meet with South Mountain Freeway planners on a variety of issues that include the possibility of an interchange at 32nd Street.
The two officials, who over the past 18 months have extracted several concessions from the Arizona Department of Transportation, said they have been focusing their attention on the interchange, a water line to Club West and noise and traffic issues.
The Lakewood Homeowners Association board also has been pressing ADOT on building the 32nd Street interchange, and the agency has agreed to undertake an environmental impact study – the final step before it can decide the issue.
Meanwhile, ADOT announced a new traffic headache for some neighborhoods near the freeway footprint.
It said one-way traffic will be imposed on Liberty Lane starting next week until June so crews can install a new 48-inch-wide, 6,700-foot-long city water pipe that will replace one in the freeway footprint.
The work on Liberty Lane – between Desert Foothills Parkway and 24th Street – will allow only for eastbound lanes to remain open since the center and westbound lanes must be closed for construction, ADOT said.
ADOT said it and freeway design-buildings Connect 202 Partners will make sure “access will be maintained to schools, gyms, churches and local streets along Liberty Lane.”
It also said residents would be notified in advance if water service must be shut off at any time during the water line construction.
Connecting the new water main to existing water mains along Desert Foothills Parkway and 24th Street will require those mains to be temporarily out of service. In order to meet the demands of higher water use during the summer months, these connections need to be in place by June,” ADOT said.
The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph through the work zone.
The absence of a 32nd Street interchange has been a sore point for the Lakewood HOA board, which told member households recently:
“The board is most concerned about the impact this may have in the mornings when Desert Vista High School traffic may cut through Lakewood, potentially exacerbating the current traffic of children and busses entering Lagos Elementary School and loading additional traffic along Lakewood Parkway.”
Noting an interchange was originally planned, the board said it asked ADOT “to reinstate a 32nd Street interchange” and that agency officials indicated it could be built without taking any houses.
Read entire story: http://www.ahwatukee.com/feeds/az_community_politics/article_2abbb362-18c0-11e8-b237-634d84ad8878.html