Goodyear approves $120M dual infrastructure overhaul: Camelback Road scaled to 4 lanes, Estrella Parkway expanded to 6 lanes
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA — September 18, 2023

Goodyear approves $120M dual infrastructure overhaul: Camelback Road scaled to 4 lanes, Estrella Parkway expanded to 6 lanes

Work session covered two major infrastructure projects with scope modifications (Camelback reduced to 4 lanes/$25M due to lack of Glendale funding, Estrella increased to 6 lanes/$95M based on growth projections) and approved police department staffing recommendations from Matrix Consulting study adding 14 positions.

Goodyear Redesigns Two Major Arterials Amid Funding Gaps, Questions Police Staffing Effectiveness as State Cuts $5M

Goodyear's city council held a work session on September 18, 2023, to reshape two cornerstone transportation projects and approve police department staffing recommendations—a trio of decisions that exposed tensions between ambitious growth management, fiscal constraints, and the city's ability to measure public safety returns on rising investment.

The council received updates on the Camelback Road widening (now scaled back from six lanes to four) and the Estrella Parkway bridge and widening expansion (increased from four lanes to six), along with a comprehensive police staffing study from Matrix Consulting Group. No formal votes were taken, but council members signaled approval for moving forward while raising pointed questions about safety design choices, funding sources, and whether escalating police payroll is actually delivering measurable improvements.

Key Speeches

"The recommended solution that we've looked at would be to go to a four-lane road, obviously as recommended by our consultant team, which is two lanes in each direction and a center two-way left turn lane, which is paved, not a raised median, to allow for future expansion in the as need may arise." — Chris Bridges, Deputy Director of Engineering and Transportation

"I'm actually kind of concerned about from a safety perspective that we will not have a raised median in an area that is very dark, very heavily traveled at night. I personally from a safety perspective would rather see this be a two median two, and if somebody needs to come in and create turn lanes, then that's on them." — Councilmember Bill (full name not provided in transcript)

"I'd love to see a shared-use path onto the bridge so you can actually have more room on the bridge, and in addition to a bike lane option for the rest of the roadway." — Councilmember Lorena (full name not provided in transcript)

"We are trying to kill the scallop streets, so yes, you know, for me you don't want to go three to two—it just makes it worse." — Chris Bridges

"I'm a little uncomfortable with the justification for the commander position being it—well we're the only ones that don't have it. I'd like to see some more information or have kind of get a summary report on what does that look like." — Councilmember Bill

Timeline

Camelback Road Project:

Estrella Parkway Project:

Police Staffing Study:

Opposition

No organized public opposition was present at this work session (no public comment period documented).

Support

No formal public comment in support was recorded at this work session.

Project Details

Camelback Road Widening

Estrella Parkway Bridge and Widening

Police Staffing (Matrix Consulting Study)

Vote Breakdown

No formal votes were recorded. This was a work session for discussion and direction. Council consensus indicated approval to:

Outcome & Next Steps

Camelback Road:

Estrella Parkway:

Police Staffing:

Controversies & Context

Glendale Funding Denial: Glendale, despite earlier expectations of financial participation in Camelback Road improvements, ultimately committed no funds to the project. City confirmed this in May 2023 after over a year of coordination. The loss of anticipated $25M in Glendale contribution forced the city to redesign the project and absorb all costs. Councilmember Bill expressed public disappointment with Glendale's posture. Glendale will require development on its side of Camelback to provide deceleration lanes per development agreements, but no municipal dollars will flow. Vice Mayor and Wally Campbell both expressed frustration with neighboring city's lack of regional cooperation.

Safety Design Trade-off (Camelback Center Turn Lane vs. Raised Median): Councilmember Bill voiced strong concern that a center two-way left turn lane (paved, not raised) on a dark, heavily-traveled arterial falls short of city standards and poses safety risks, particularly for preventing cross-median collisions. He advocated for a raised median to match other city arterials (McDowell, Indian School Road) and to maintain consistency. Chris Bridges indicated the center turn lane design was chosen to allow future expansion without additional right-of-way acquisition from Glendale, but the safety argument was not fully resolved in the session. Vice Mayor noted incoming truck traffic from pilot truck stop on Glendale side would compound risk.

Litchfield Park Coordination Failure: Wally Campbell questioned Litchfield Park's decision to limit their Camelback portion to "two and two" (two lanes each direction) instead of committing to a larger arterial cross-section, particularly given the city's decision to add a 35 mph speed limit and roundabout on Litchfield Road—which Wally Campbell argued is itself a major arterial serving as direct access from Broadway to Grand and to Luke Air Force Wally Campbell and Chris Bridges both expressed frustration with difficulty coordinating with Litchfield Park, whose goal appears to be protecting its community rather than optimizing regional traffic flow.

Truck Traffic and Speed Concerns: Multiple council members and residents raised concerns about racing and excessive speed on Camelback, Bullard Avenue, Estrella Parkway, and Pebble Creek Parkway. Councilmember Bill noted ongoing speeding even on roadways with police presence and traffic-calming efforts (e.g., ticketing on Litchfield Road). Bill requested more motor officer resources for traffic enforcement visibility. The April–June performance report showed no improvement in proactive patrol metrics despite ongoing staffing increases, raising questions about enforcement capacity and strategy.

Police Performance Metrics in Red Despite Staffing Growth: Councilmember Bill presented Valley Benchmark data showing the police department in red on all three key performance measures:

  1. Proactive Patrol Time Percentage
  2. Priority One Calls Answered Within 5 Minutes
  3. Violent/Property Crime Clearance Rates

This was presented despite the city adding 15+ police positions over three to four fiscal years. Bill noted the challenge of "throwing bodies" at a problem without measurable improvement and requested a comprehensive follow-up analysis addressing:

He emphasized the need to understand performance trade-offs before considering future tax increases or service reductions.

State Legislature Funding Cut: Effective for the following fiscal year (FY25), Arizona's state legislature reduced the city's allocation by $5M. Councilmember Bill and Finance Director Doug both acknowledged this will significantly constrain budget flexibility when preparing next year's plan. The new police positions will become part of the recurring base, compounding the impact of the cut. Finance Director will need to sharpen pencil on competing priorities.

Matrix Study Depth: Councilmember Bill noted the city spent approximately $150,000 on the Matrix Consulting study but only presented (and discussed in council) the staffing portion. The report contains multiple operational and strategic recommendations beyond staffing levels (pages 100–148 cited). Bill requested a supplemental presentation summarizing what the study recommends operationally, what the city concurs with, what it does not, and next steps. He expressed concern that the city may be missing opportunities for efficiency and effectiveness improvements beyond headcount.

Narcotics/SIU Specialization Question: Councilmember Vicki and Councilmember Lorena both raised the fact that the Narcotics team is currently doing double duty—focusing on narcotics but also pulling away for SIU work (special investigations, violent offender apprehensions). Chief acknowledged this is now under evaluation for possible future separation into distinct specialized units but was not part of the FY24 recommendations. Potential future supplemental budget request flagged.

Bike/Pedestrian Safety on Estrella Parkway: Councilmember Stipp raised a personal tragedy (loss of a friend in a cyclist crash) and strongly advocated for protected bike/pedestrian infrastructure on Estrella Parkway. Chris Bridges confirmed the shared-use path on the bridge will be physically separated and protected, addressing this concern. Councilmember Brandon also praised the wide bike lanes and pedestrian/cyclist amenities as critical for a growing community.

Duration

Other Notable Items

Welcome to Goodyear Signage: Councilmember Bill expressed a desire to fund large "Leaving Goodyear" (eastbound) and "Welcome to Goodyear" (westbound) signs on Camelback Road as the thoroughfare improves, similar to signage on I-10. He also suggested a billboard-sized sign on SR-303. This was noted as a lower-priority (editorial) comment but reflects pride in infrastructure improvements.

Bullard Wash Trail Opportunity: Wally Campbell and Chris Bridges discussed a creative idea to develop a trail or recreation space under/along the Estrella Parkway bridge in the Bullard Wash area, coordinating with the city's parks system and MAG's active transportation plan. This could unlock alternative funding sources (grants for trail development, open space recreation) and create a multimodal corridor connecting to regional pathways. Project team flagged as worth exploring in design phase.