Denna
Posts:0
 | | 11/14/2007 12:02 PM |
 Alert | Can our wonderful city planners and politicians figure out at least one alternate way in and out of this wretched city? It is absolutely terrible to live in a place where you feel trapped because you traffic is backed up several miles because of bad planning. At 3pm yesterday I left my house and my car moved about 15 feet in 45 minutes on the 347.
Like most cities we need a grid pattern so if one road is backed up, we can use an alternate route. Where they are building the Walmart and Home Depot is going to be a parking lot... the intersection of 347 and Casa Grande highway. Something should be done there yesterday. It is the most dangerous intersection in the city. Build a bridge or something over the RR tracks. Use imminent domain to confiscate some buildings to do it.
Build the police a real police station and courthouse and stop using the trailors. In fact level that whole area after you do it. It looks shabby and I am sure they would appreciate a higher end establishment.
I have no idea what some people are thinking in how this little city is run. It seems like all they've done is allow thousands too many homes to be built to degrade our property values. Oh you want to build more houses? Approved.
Several small businesses have also gone under... Help them out for goodness sakes. Tax relief? Something.
Oh... and post full-time officers at the schools. I heard some kid at the middle school brought a gun to school several months ago. Nice. | | | |
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Jason
Posts:3378
| | 11/14/2007 12:11 PM |
Alert | | It's no big secret that 347 is under construction. There are other ways to get out. | |
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asugrl
Posts:413
| | 11/14/2007 12:34 PM |
Alert | | does anyone know when the construction on 347 will end (if ever?) I never know now if the 347 is going to be backed up, so I always take val vista to work, but it seems like twice the mileage and I am still stressed out when I get to work barely on time. Or is there somewhere to go to find current updates on the backups on 347? thx | | | |
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Java Lover
Posts:0
| | 11/14/2007 12:51 PM |
Alert | Taking Val Vista adds 25 miles to your commute.
Denna ~ Welcome to Maricopa.  | | | |
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twostep23
Posts:1687
| | 11/14/2007 1:30 PM |
Alert | Guess we know who's new to Maricopa. The traffic jams due to construction have been going on now for months. Wait till you sit on the 347 for 3 hours.
Welcome!!!
As said many times by many people in the past it isn't like we all didn't know that it was a small town, there would be growing pains and that there is limited number of ways in and out of town.
I actually find more traffic out of Maricopa then I do in. It's all what you make it.
Good luck!! | |
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asugrl
Posts:413
| | 11/14/2007 1:52 PM |
Alert | | Yeah I have a harder time getting out of maricopa than I do getting back, which is the problem. I am not usually on deadline to get back to my house, lol. And I am new to Maricopa but I did not have the construction problems when I first moved here, not til like a month ago if that. I didn't mind the construction at night when I was getting home; I do mind it when they say they will be repaving a road (that looked fine to me a few weeks ago) between 1 and 8 PM, then when I go to work at 10:30 AM they have already started reducing it to one lane. I would just like to be warned of when this will occur so I can avoid it, rather than going the long way everyday "just in case," or leaving 2+ hours ahead of time when it should take me only 30 min. to get to work. I don't think having a schedule of construction ahead of time so that people can avoid it is too much to ask. | | | |
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alanf
Posts:1462
| | 11/14/2007 1:56 PM |
Alert | Yes Denna, welcome to our wretched little city. Now take a deep breath, hold it, hold it, hold it....now exhale. Plan your travel accordingly. 347 in town and the signal at Casa Blanca are the last 2 hurdles I believe. I would plan on leaving before noon if going north.
The infrastructure of Maricopa is trying to catch up with poorly planned explosive growth. Things will get better(because it's hard to imagine worse), but we'll need to relax, wait, vote smartly, and give support where and when it is required.
You can remain angry at a bad situation that probably won't be good for most of us very soon...or we can all strive to make what we have a better world. Lemons into lemonades you might say.
Again, Welcome to Maricopa (or Radiator Springs to some). Smile and grow with us. | | | |
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alanf
Posts:1462
| | 11/14/2007 1:58 PM |
Alert | | ADOT does have lines for information, and lines for complaining. I think I'd use the information line. | | | |
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Denna
Posts:0
| | 11/14/2007 1:59 PM |
Alert | I don't think that we should excuse the local government by saying "we knew what we would be getting into". It wasn't this bad 3 years ago when I moved here. In fact, I only encountered one terrible traffic jam during that time. However, during that 3 years of growth, the local government has done absolutely nothing to assist traffic problems. Putting up more lights increases safety, but it isn't a solution. The highway needed repaving so that is a plus. However, the planning of the project was horrible. What about alternate routes into Phoenix or even through town? What about treating us like a city instead of a like the little podunk hick town it grew up from.
It would have been nice if they expanded the 347 to 6 lanes during this nonsense? It is going to have to happen eventually. Why would we turn Casa Grande freeway into 6 lanes before the road into Phoenix? Maybe we are making it so miserable to put pressure on the Indian tribe to pitch in their fair share for the road projects.
ps - Is someone getting a kickback from the developers to keep allowing all these new homes to be built? They are compounding the problems. | | | |
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Jason
Posts:3378
| | 11/14/2007 2:04 PM |
Alert | It wasn't this bad 3 years ago when I moved here. In fact, I only encountered one terrible traffic jam during that time. However, during that 3 years of growth, the local government has done absolutely nothing to assist traffic problems.
This isn't true. Maricopa has tried to work with GRIC to get a route out towards the east. GRIC has refused. | |
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kenmoreguy72
Posts:159
| | 11/14/2007 2:19 PM |
Alert | Deana, I believe your anger is misdirected....
The 347 is a state highway. The work is being done by ADOT. I read in another post that the pavement they are lying down needs to be put down at a certain time in the day when the temperature right.
"It would be nice if the widened the 347 to six lanes"?????
Yeah, it would also be nice if I had a George Jetson car that flew...let's be realistic. As far as widening the 347, that is up to the state buying land from the Gila River Nation. I don't think that is going to happen. Where would you like the alternate route to go?
As far as the building goes, it is called planning. The more people living out here, the more business will come, the less you will have to drive into Chandler. | | | |
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uprvr
Posts:61
| | 11/14/2007 2:30 PM |
Alert | Posted By Denna on 11/14/2007 1:59 PM
I don't think that we should excuse the local government by saying "we knew what we would be getting into". It wasn't this bad 3 years ago when I moved here. In fact, I only encountered one terrible traffic jam during that time. However, during that 3 years of growth, the local government has done absolutely nothing to assist traffic problems. Putting up more lights increases safety, but it isn't a solution. The highway needed repaving so that is a plus. However, the planning of the project was horrible. What about alternate routes into Phoenix or even through town? What about treating us like a city instead of a like the little podunk hick town it grew up from.
It would have been nice if they expanded the 347 to 6 lanes during this nonsense? It is going to have to happen eventually. Why would we turn Casa Grande freeway into 6 lanes before the road into Phoenix? Maybe we are making it so miserable to put pressure on the Indian tribe to pitch in their fair share for the road projects.
ps - Is someone getting a kickback from the developers to keep allowing all these new homes to be built? They are compounding the problems.
Denna,
If you have lived here three years and don't know alternate roads in and out of the city you have no one to blame but(look in the mirror) yourself. There are alternate roads in Maricopa (believe it or not) and to Phoenix but you won't find them here typing and complaining on a community forum. Why do you solely blame the city when it's far more complicated than that. We have the indian tribes, ADOT and UPRR to name a few that move slower than turtles on seemingly obvious issues. I know the city is far from perfect but these issues are being discussed daily if not hourly at city hall. And most of the residential MPD were approved prior to the city's incorporation. I know it's frustrating but simply compaining here on the forum will accomplish very little. Good Luck and I hope your misery lessens over time.
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Denna
Posts:0
| | 11/14/2007 2:48 PM |
Alert | Driving to Casa Grande to the I10 is not a viable traffic alternative for getting into Phoenix. By the time you make it back to Queen Creek, that is 40 miles out of the way at least. All of the routes cause what I feel are extreme burdens on the citizens.
The 347 could be widened without consulting with the Indian tribe. There is actually plenty of room with what they have plus cutting into the ugly dirt and weed median and side area.
There may be ridiculous side streets through town, but they are driving through neighborhoods, dirt roads, or some other nonsense. Please don't act like that is a realistic solution for anyone. Nobody should have to drive through a subdivision to avoid traffic. Like any CITY, Maricopa should have a grid of some sort with at least two major streets. Instead they built acres and acres of homes with no major exchange in between. Where is the planning? There was none and there continues to be none.
It's not ADOT's fault that we have terrible traffic management. | | | |
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Denna
Posts:0
| | 11/14/2007 2:49 PM |
Alert | | ps - I think everyone complaining would make an impact. It really feels like nobody in our government is listening... | | | |
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Denna
Posts:0
| | 11/14/2007 2:52 PM |
Alert | | Boycott their casino. <img src='http://www.85239.com/desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/tongue.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Tongue' align='absmiddle'> | | | |
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uprvr
Posts:61
| | 11/14/2007 3:22 PM |
Alert | Posted By Denna on 11/14/2007 2:48 PM
The 347 could be widened without consulting with the Indian tribe. There is actually plenty of room with what they have plus cutting into the ugly dirt and weed median and side area.
This is simply not true the state was granted the use of that land for a 4 lane divided highway and there are restrictions for any widening (it must be approved by the tribe) and the medians are Indian owned. And the 347 is a state road that the city has no control over.
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kenmoreguy72
Posts:159
| | 11/14/2007 3:26 PM |
Alert | Deana, you're reaching. This issue has been covered over and over.
1. The city limits are just past RED.
2. The 347 (in town) is a state highway
Boycott their casino? The one by us is Ak Chin. The one that would need to sell land to the state to expand the highway is Gila River.
Everyone whining on a forum will do no good. If you want something to change, go to a meeting.
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Jason
Posts:3378
| | 11/14/2007 3:30 PM |
Alert | | I would like to see the agreements, since my understanding was that the land was sold to the state. | |
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uprvr
Posts:61
| | 11/14/2007 3:36 PM |
Alert | <div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By Denna on 11/14/2007 2:48 PM
There may be ridiculous side streets through town, but they are driving through neighborhoods, dirt roads, or some other nonsense. Please don't act like that is a realistic solution for anyone. Nobody should have to drive through a subdivision to avoid traffic. Like any CITY, Maricopa should have a grid of some sort with at least two major streets. Instead they built acres and acres of homes with no major exchange in between. Where is the planning? There was none and there continues to be none.
It's not ADOT's fault that we have terrible traffic management. </div>
Denna,
Have you read the General Plan two of the components address the traffic grid in Maricopa. This information is being updated as the city grows. Go to the citys website for more information or better yet call Brent Billingsley at the city
Here is a link
http://cityofmaricopa.net/public_works/PWDept.htm
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uprvr
Posts:61
| | 11/14/2007 3:58 PM |
Alert | <div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By Denna on 11/14/2007 2:49 PM
ps - I think everyone complaining would make an impact. It really feels like nobody in our government is listening.<div class='NTForums_Quote'>
And why would city staff or council read this forum. If you want to complain there are more formal ways to do it. Besides city leaders and staff will respect and take you more seriously.
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