Williamson Valley (WV) Road is a paved, two-lane road that starts at Iron Springs Road in Prescott and continues past Outer Loop Road.
It is the main road within the WV Corridor and serves as the backbone of the community.
The question of how to improve WV Road has been the topic of many debates. Many residents living in the Williamson Valley area agree on the need to improve the road but want it to remain what it is – a reflection of their rural lifestyle.
This belief puts those residents in conflict with Yavapai County officials who see WV Road as a major transportation artery and have introduced plans to widen the road to five lanes.
“Wow! When it comes to the plan, this is where we have to put our armor on and fight,” former Williamson Valley Corridor Plan (WVCP) Steering Committee Chairman Walter Burcham said.
“The people of Williamson Valley don’t want a five-lane highway. But, they have said the road should be improved,” Burcham said.
He said a group consisting of county officials and representatives from WV should decide how the road should look and what officials should do.
“The residents would be happier because they would have buy-in. It would take longer, but that is what happens when you have inclusion,” Burcham said.
The WVCP Transportation Element subcommittee used the results of the 2005 corridor survey to develop the transportation goals for the corridor plan.
Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Ken Mino said committee members are recommending that officials designate WV Road as a Scenic Corridor. He said this would help to preserve the area.
Scenic Corridors are defined as “the view from the road.” The view may be a distant panorama as well as the immediate roadside areas. In the Williamson Valley Corridor, the views of Granite Mountain, boulder outcroppings and the rural-residential character of large parcels qualify WV Road as a Scenic Corridor.
Ten major roads lie within the Williamson Valley Corridor. WV Road, Pioneer Parkway and Outer Loop are arterial roads which move traffic for a long distance between two points. Glenshandra Road, Stazenski Road, Road 2 South, Nancy Drive and Fair Oaks Road are collector roads that collect and distribute traffic between arterial and local roads. Forest Roads 664 and 102 are within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, which maintains them.
Mino said county officials and consultants Lima & Associates provided the committee with average daily traffic counts on WV Road for 2000 and 2005.
The average traffic counts on the road from Iron Springs to Pioneer Parkway changed from 8,660 in 2000 to 12,829 in 2005; from 5,490 in 2000 to 6,253 in 2005 on Pioneer Parkway to Outer Loop Road; and north from Outer Loop Road increased from 1,040 in 2000 to 2,959 in 2005.
The WVCP indicates that corridor residents worry about speeding and passing over double yellow lines.
Mino said residents favor increased pull-outs, left-hand turns and deceleration lanes.
Mino said that a six-lane highway would not be enough to handle the traffic, assuming that population projections are correct.
“There is an opportunity that exists today for the county and state that if they don’t take advantage of it will end up costing a fortune. The community is not just saying no to improvements. What it is saying is provide us with options,” Mino said.
The committee, the chairman said, is recommending the county revisit plans introduced in October 2004 that included left-turn lanes, deceleration lanes and passing lanes.
“The committee is strongly pushing the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) do something to Highway 89 before anything is done to WV Road,” Mino said.
Mino said residents along the corridor do not want traffic signals. He said they want alternative methods of traffic control. He said idling vehicles at traffic signals create additional noise for residents.
Mino said he found it interesting that traffic consultants said that additional access to Highway 89 is critical. He said the area needs more east/west connectors north of Outer Loop Road.
“There has never been a feasibility study completed on WV Road. We believe a grid system of two-lane roads, properly designed, could handle all of the traffic that will ever be in the area,” Mino said. “A feasibility study would identify where roads should be located. If the roads were designed correctly the cost would be significantly less.
“There are so many options, and if we exercise those options, we can develop something all the county supervisors can be proud of.”
Mino said if officials widen WV Road, it would be almost impossible to prevent commercial development because no one would want to live along the roadway. He said commercial development would then diminish the road’s capacity.
The chairman said the committee expressed a desire for an independent, professional traffic planner to work with the residents and county officials to develop the best traffic plan for the area and projected growth.
“This is a huge issue that deserves a lot of study,” Mino said. He noted that it is possible for the county to plan for growth and still preserve the rural character of the WV corridor.
The transportation subcommittee identified three goals in the draft corridor plan.
Maintaining the scenic, rural quality of the WV Corridor tops the committee’s list of goals.
The committee proposed establishing a Scenic Corridor designation for WV Road; improving/widening the road by adding pull-out, left-turn and deceleration lanes where needed; lobbying elected county and state officials to petition ADOT to improve/widen Highway 89 before any widening of WV Road; and considering alternative traffic controls instead of traffic signals.
The other two goals include creating WV Road’s identification as a Scenic Corridor and effectively managing the increased traffic flow with the WV Corridor.
For more information on the WVCP visit www.williamsonvalleycorridorplan.com.
