City Faces $2.5 Million Street Maintenance Need
Apache Junction Public Works Deputy Director Shane Kiesow presented the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Improvement and Street Maintenance Plan to the City Council on July 14, 2025. The informational presentation outlined planned projects from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with many requiring future council approval for contractor awards.
The city needs about $2.5 million for its street maintenance program, according to Kiesow. Currently, the city has about $2 million from street sales tax revenue but supplements this with Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) money and Pinal County sales tax revenue to reach the required amount. Reconstruction projects for roads in poor condition represent a separate funding need, which the city typically covers using Pinal County sales tax money.
Street Assessment and Goals
Apache Junction evaluates street conditions using Remaining Service Life (RSL), a scale where zero represents completely deteriorated roads and 20 indicates newly constructed pavement.
The city improved its overall street health this year, achieving a 14.05 average RSL across all streets, up from 12.82 last year. This marks the first time in 20 years the city reached its service level objective of maintaining an average RSL greater than 14.
However, the percentage of streets in poor or worse condition increased from 5.8% to 7.0%, exceeding the city’s goal of keeping this figure below 5%. Streets in poor condition cost $60 plus a square yard to reconstruct compared to $3 per square yard for preventive maintenance.
Priority Areas and Safety Concerns
Several roads require immediate attention due to safety issues and deteriorated conditions. Superstition Boulevard faces heavy traffic volumes and truck traffic, with sections showing significant wear after 25-30 years of service since construction in the late 1990s. The road has developed potholes and requires rehabilitation to extend its life another 10-15 years. Broadway Avenue also needs overlay work from Meridian to Ironwood Drive.
The intersection at Delaware Drive and Southern Avenue has met traffic signal warrants due to severe accidents, particularly T-bone crashes, rather than high traffic volume. The city expects to complete signal design as FY 2026 begins, setting up possible construction in the following fiscal year or the year after.
Council Member Darryl Cross reported ongoing synchronization problems with the traffic light at Delaware and Superstition. Cross noted that at 3 AM the light was changing every eight seconds regardless of whether vehicles were present, and during Saturday afternoon, the light changed every 10 seconds for traffic on Superstition even when no vehicles were waiting on Delaware. He observed that the Delaware direction stayed green much longer than necessary. Cross suggested the problems began when nearby building construction started, potentially affecting the intersection’s detection systems.
Recent Accomplishments
The department completed several major projects in the past fiscal year:
- Palm Wash drainage project along 16th Avenue between Ironwood and Delaware
- Haven Hollow subdivision road reconstruction with civil improvements
- Completion of Apache Trail median improvements (final phase from Meridian to Idaho)
- Street lighting installation along Superstition Boulevard and Apache Trail (115 new lights, funded through a grant specifically awarded due to pedestrian accidents in the area)
- Winchester Storm Drain Extension from north of Southern to the south side
Planned FY 2026 Projects
Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation
| Project Type | Location | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Crack seal | Citywide | Fall through Winter 2025/26 |
| Fog seal | Citywide | Fall 2025 |
| Slurry seal and cape seal | Citywide | Fall 2025 & Spring 2026 |
| Chip seal (rural roads) | Citywide | Spring 2026 |
| Old West Highway overlay | Idaho Rd. to Tomahawk Rd. | Fall 2025 |
| Broadway Ave. overlay | Meridian Dr. to Ironwood Dr. | Fall 2025 |
| Superstition Blvd. overlay | Meridian Dr. to SR 88 | Fall 2025 |
| Auto Center Dr. & Cactus overlay | Auto Center Dr. & Cactus | Fall 2025 (contingent on budget) |
| Lost Dutchman Blvd. Phase 4 reconstruction (part of multi-phase project) | Meridian Dr. to Ironwood Dr. | Fall/Winter 2025/26 |
Capital Improvement Projects
| Project | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Street Lighting Improvement (Superstition Blvd and Apache Trail) | July 2025 |
| Winchester Stormdrain Extension (Southern to 29th) | August 2025 (completion) |
| Delaware Dr. Improvement (Broadway to 16th) | August 2025 |
| Old West Highway Sidewalks | Spring/Summer 2026 |
| E. Palm Springs Curb/Gutter Improvements | Winter 2025-26 |
The following map was provided to the council to show planned areas for road improvements.
New Infrastructure Challenges
The city has added significant new infrastructure requiring maintenance, including new residential developments in the south. The Radiance subdivision and Blossom Rock community have transferred streets to city ownership after one year of service. These roads will begin receiving fog seal treatments in FY 2026, with additional maintenance phases planned for future years.
The department also installed 115 new street lights through the recent lighting project, requiring additional staff, space, and maintenance capabilities. Kiesow noted the need for expanded public works facilities to accommodate growing responsibilities.
Technology and Standards Updates
The city continues developing a fiber optic master plan to establish construction specifications and standards. “Fiber has come a long way with the city here just within the last year or two,” Kiesow said. “We really do not have any specification details on how we want things to be constructed with fiber, so this study was to help us put a master plan together, as well as flesh out the specifications and details.”
The plan also addresses cellular service improvements. Kiesow explained that growing population and increased cellphone usage have degraded wireless coverage in the city. As a result, many telecommunication companies want to install additional facilities to boost cellular coverage in both the northern and southern parts of Apache Junction.
Design and Planning Studies
Several major planning efforts will continue in FY 2026:
- Weekes Wash Regional Detention design (pending land agreements with Bureau of Land Management and SRP)
- Fiber Optic Master Plan
- New traffic signal design at Delaware Dr./Southern Ave.
- Public Works facility expansion master plan
- Traffic signal improvements at Ironwood Dr./Baseline Ave.
- Sidewalk installation planning along Idaho Rd. and Superstition Blvd.
- Engineering standards updates for telecommunications and modern infrastructure
Future Considerations
Kiesow warned that project timelines depend on bid results, stating some projects may shift to future fiscal years if contractor quotes exceed budget allocations. The city will continue prioritizing preventive maintenance to avoid costly reconstruction while addressing the most deteriorated streets in its inventory.
Several major projects will reach completion in the coming years. The Lost Dutchman Phase 4 reconstruction will complete the specific segment from Meridian to Ironwood Drive. When finished, this will complete four phases of Lost Dutchman reconstruction spanning from Meridian all the way to North Apache Trail. The project faced delays due to right-of-way acquisition challenges with state lands for adding bike lanes.
The Old West Highway sidewalk project from Winchester to Goldfield will create connectivity with the Community Activity Center (CAC) and extend eastward to link new subdivisions toward Goldfield. This will provide pedestrian access for students and residents to reach the downtown area, connecting with the broader pedestrian network from Idaho Road.
