As a follow up to:
What’s going on with Scottsdale?
The cancelled roundabout is in the news again, and I’m wondering if anyone can explain things other than in politically partisan terms? In other words, if it’s true there was “massive pushback” for the project, why is that the case? A roundabout is likely to be safer overall (reduces peak thru speed) while being more “efficient” in terms of traffic flow. In other other words, “Graham said the completed intersection improvements will result in a safer corridor than what existed before.” can be true, and at the same time the (cheaper) roundabout could be even safer, and at a lower cost.
Scottsdale councilman defends roundabout cancellation
Updated safety project is now reporting a $3.4 million increase
Published: Mar. 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM MST|Updated: 18 hours ago
SCOTTSDALE (AZFamily) — Scottsdale City Councilman Barry Graham is defending his vote to cancel a planned roundabout project along the Scottsdale Road corridor, after a report released this week showed the replacement project will cost an additional $3.4 million.
“It would have been the only roundabout on the north Scottsdale, Pima corridors north of the 101. It was out of character and got massive push back from local residents,” said Graham.
The project targets a two-mile stretch of Scottsdale Road in the northern part of the city, with the goal of improving safety and drainage.
The previous city council had approved a roundabout at the Dynamite Road intersection as part of this broader safety improvement plan. The total project budget was capped at $43.7 million, with a federal grant covering $31 million of that amount.
In April 2025, Graham and three other council members voted to cancel the roundabout portion of the project and pursue a different design. Graham said the roundabout was not the right fit for the busy corridor.
“We protected Scottsdale Road from a permanent roundabout amid passive pushback from our residents — we stood with our residents,” Graham said.
When the city canceled the roundabout, it also forfeited the $31 million federal grant tied to the project. Graham said the Maricopa Association of Governments stepped in and provided Scottsdale with roughly $30 million as a funding swap for the federal grant, meaning the city is not responsible for the full cost increase.
The report released this week shows the project’s cost of $3.4 million, this funding will be covered by the projects contingency fund and not at an extra cost to tax payers. The city now has only $850,000 remaining in this project’s contingency fund to cover any additional unexpected cost increases.
When asked whether further cost overruns could put the city in a difficult financial position, Graham acknowledged the possibility.
“It’s possible. Every time we do a project, overruns are possible for every project, which is why we hire experts who watch this carefully,” Graham said.
Graham said the completed intersection improvements will result in a safer corridor than what existed before.
“This intersection after these improvements are done will be much safer than it previously was,” he said.
I also am not sure about how accounting works, but the way I read it, despite Scottdale’s decision costing a $31 million dollar federal grant, it isn’t out the money because MAG covered it to the tune of $30 MILLION DOLLARS — which I would imagine means that money isn’t available for some other safety project somewhere else in the Maricopa region.
11/16/2025 A bicyclist was killed when a driver ran a red light at an “activated” HAWK crossing at