State Route 85 is quickly becoming the West Valley’s next major industrial and logistics corridor, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
Developers are shifting their attention toward the state highway as available industrial land along Loop 303 becomes harder to find. As a result, the emerging corridor could support millions of square feet of warehouses, manufacturing plants, data centers and distribution facilities.
Major industrial projects planned 
Several large projects are driving the growth along SR 85.
Burlington Stores is developing a 2 million-square-foot distribution center near SR 85 and Broadway Road.
Meanwhile, Crimson Canyon Industrial Park could add about 1 million square feet of industrial space. The proposed ViaWest Business Park would cover 83 acres and target logistics and distribution companies.
However, Grand View Arizona is the largest project planned for the area. The 2,500-acre site could support as much as 30.8 million square feet of development. Plans include space for manufacturers, data centers and other industrial users.
Location attracts developers
SR 85 provides a direct connection between Interstate 10 and the U.S.-Mexico border at Lukeville. Therefore, the corridor is attractive to companies moving goods throughout Arizona and across the border.
Additionally, Buckeye has large tracts of available land. Those properties can accommodate warehouses, manufacturing facilities and industrial campuses.
Transportation projects improve access
Future freeway projects could make the corridor even more accessible.
For example, the Arizona Department of Transportation began work June 15 on a $613 million Loop 303 extension. The approximately four-year project will extend the freeway four miles south from Van Buren Street to State Route 85.
Moreover, the project will prepare Loop 303 for an eventual connection with the planned State Route 30 freeway.
Plans call for three lanes in each direction between Van Buren Street and Lower Buckeye Road. Then, two lanes will run in each direction between Lower Buckeye Road and MC 85.
The project will also include new interchanges, frontage roads, railroad crossings, and other improvements. However, ADOT expects most restrictions and closures to occur overnight or on weekends.
Ultimately, these transportation investments could provide another major connection between SR 85, Loop 303, Interstate 10, and the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Read the full report from the Phoenix Business Journal. Additional information about the freeway projects is available from ADOT.
One Response
Need to COMPLETE the road projects before allowing these businesses to operate. It always comes years after the congestion, what happened to PLANNING? Infrastructure FIRST is a must for the citizens of the area. It does no good to give tax breaks for “jobs” that rarely materialize especially when we have to foot the bill for infrastructure rather than those businesses. They really don’t help the city except by increasing traffic and frustrations.