Residents still oppose plan for 12th Street

Residents attending a follow-up open house on the city's proposal to improve a stretch of 12th Street didn't sound a whole lot happier with the revised project than they were with the original plan.

"Alaska has its bridge to nowhere and we'll have our road to nowhere" said one of about 60 people who attended the open house held Monday night to gather public input on the revised roadway plan for 12th Street between Avenues A and B.

"Dumb," said a second.

The original proposal called for widening the 1-mile stretch of road to five lanes, with a bridge over the East Main Canal and accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians. The project had a price tag of more than $20 million because a number of homes would have had to be purchased for right-of-way.

Following an open house in July attended by 120 people, most of them up in arms over the project, the city council asked the consultant to come back with a revised plan.

As a result of residents' comments, a number of changes were made, said Jan Zander, executive vice president of Ayres and Associates. The revised plan still calls for a bridge across the East Main Canal, bike paths and pedestrian sidewalks. However, it calls for only one lane of traffic each way with a median for left turns, requiring the purchase of considerably fewer homes.

Another compromise was to abandon plans to put a connecting street through Magnolia Village, said City Administrator Mark Watson said. The plan now is to provide a gated emergency access-only entrance into Magnolia Village.

That will still improve public safety while not impacting as many people in that neighborhood, he said.

The purpose of the 12th Street project is to improve the flow of traffic and create an additional crosstown connection within the city, Zander said. It's a plan that was identified both in the city's 2005 Major Roadway Plan and the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan.

Steve Miller still isn't happy, expressing concern that the road improvement will increase traffic that will disrupt the neighborhood.

While the project wouldn't affect his home, he said, "it affects my neighborhood. It endangers my grandchildren who go to school. It endangers my wallet with the frivolous stuff. If they just put a two-lane bridge across the canal, they wouldn't need to take out any houses. The cost would be minimal."

Lance Vanderzly would rather see the city focus on roadway improvements to the south of 12th Street and on the east side where the growth is taking place instead of disrupting an established neighborhood.

"Looks good in the pictures," observed Ray Dunham. "But I think it's dumb. A waste of money."

Jay Simonton, project manager for the city, said he was hearing fewer objections than at the July open house. "We took their comments to heart and tried to minimize the impact. We need the roadway but at the same time, we're trying to accommodate the citizens the best we can."

Comments on the project will be accepted until Dec. 12. People can call Simonton at 373-4520, e-mail him at John.Simonton@yumaaz.gov or fax 373-4503.

For more information about the project, visit www.yuma12thstreet.com.


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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.