Scottsdale’s City Council has thrown a late curve into the overhaul of Scottsdale Road at Dynamite Boulevard, ordering a redesign of the already-under-construction intersection and cancelling a previously approved multilane roundabout. Major work on the two-mile corridor started in December 2024, but the switch to a signalized intersection means that phase of the project is now expected to run into the latter half of 2026.
Council Decision and Redesign
On April 8, 2025, the council voted 4-3 to scrap the roundabout design in favor of a traditional signalized intersection and directed staff to return with any needed budget transfers or contract amendments, according to City of Scottsdale. The city’s project page notes that construction began in December 2024 and that the corridor project, originally budgeted at about $43.7 million, is roughly 50 percent complete. The original vision, with the multilane roundabout as a centerpiece of the overhaul, was detailed in Scottsdale Road Set for $43.7M.
Money and the Funding Swap
Project staff warned that changing the design could put roughly $31.13 million in federal grant funding at risk, and opponents of the redesign argued that re-scoping the work would saddle the city with millions more in local costs, as reported by East Valley Tribune. The city manager’s office pushed back on the claim of large added costs and has maintained that the overall corridor remains funded. Mayor Lisa Borowsky’s office says the Maricopa Association of Governments approved a funding swap that returned about $29.29 million in regional dollars while increasing the project estimate by roughly $6.55 million, according to the mayor’s office.
What Drivers Will See
For anyone just trying to get across town, the result is a lot of orange cones and creative lane changes. Drivers can expect lane shifts, left-turn restrictions and round-the-clock traffic control through the work zone. Local updates show traffic reduced to one lane in each direction in some stretches while crews install waterlines, storm drains and rebuild medians, with posted speed limits lowered in active parts of the corridor, according to Carefree Unity.
Safety Debate
Transportation staff and engineers had originally championed the roundabout on safety grounds, pointing to national research and internal presentations that show modern roundabouts can sharply cut the risk of severe crashes. ABC15 reported that roundabouts can reduce severe crashes by as much as 66 percent. Opponents, however, argued that a multilane circle is tougher to navigate for everyday drivers, horse trailers and longer vehicles. “Traffic volumes from all four directions warrant a roundabout,” Dan Worth told the East Valley Tribune, underscoring the divide between traffic engineers and political decision-makers.
Next Steps and Legal Implications
City staff told the council they will pursue a funding swap with the Maricopa Association of Governments and coordinate with ADOT on the next phase. Meeting documents summarized by Citizen Portal indicate that redesign work for the intersection could take about eight months and that procuring traffic-signal equipment comes with long lead times. Those same summaries note ADOT’s view that a major change in project scope could trigger cancellation and rebidding of contracts and require federal clearances to be obtained again, a procurement and legal tangle that helps explain why staff are steering toward a funding swap instead of simply walking away from federal dollars.
Where to Get Updates
The city is posting detour maps, construction schedules and project alerts on the corridor’s project page and has set up a hotline at 480-898-4110 for questions about timing and access, according to City of Scottsdale.
