The 2025 City of Buckeye Transportation Master Plan Update is a 449-page document nearly as immense as the roadways it evaluates. The TMP is what Deputy Director of Transportation John Willet calls a “living document,” meaning it is updated every five years as a roadmap for the city and developers, prioritizing and strategizing roadway infrastructure based on statistical predictions.
With a city growing as fast as Buckeye, that's no small task.
Since the previous TMP was updated in 2019, there have been significant changes to transportation needs in Buckeye including modifications to the General Plan Land Use Element; adopted roadway facility types such as the number of lanes permitted; changes in the roadway network and connectivity of roadways in the city; the completion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan; and the need to modify guidance for the trucking routes.
“Things change,” Willet said. “We need to make and reflect those changes in the TMP.”
The TMP update process involved conducting a study of transportation changes since the 2019 plan’s completion; updating a map of existing conditions; gathering feedback from the public and developers; creating a build-out projection with population estimations and employment conditions; creating a new build-out of a roadway network; studying the needs of wildlife and the impact of transportation growth on wildlife; and updating implementation tasks and funding options.
The TMP includes evaluations of existing street networks, street designs, travel demand modeling, multimodal transportation accommodation suggestions, street network recommendations, funding source recommendations, regional wildlife considerations, transit improvement suggestions and more. Five key transportation issues were identified: Planning for growth, economic development, regionally significant corridors, the need for multimodal transport options and how to maintain infrastructure.
Planning for Growth
"Buckeye is currently one of the fastest growing cities in the nation," reads the TMP. "Developers have been drawn to Buckeye because of affordable land and proximity to nearby job markets in the neighboring West Valley communities and recently within the City of Buckeye. Increases in travel demand are an effect of population and employment growth."
Economic Development
According to the TMP, I-10 and SR 85 will be key to economic development in Buckeye's activity centers, however, may not be adequate for long-term growth.
"Because both highways are limited to the central and southern end of the City of Buckeye, parkways and arterial roadways will play a significant role in economic development in the northern end of Buckeye until future regional roadways are developed," reads the TMP.
The TMP also identified the need to improve trucking corridors and railroad crossings to aid in economic development within those industries.
Regionally Significant Corridors
Buckeye needs future freeways, the TMP notes, but Sun Valley Parkway will have to "serve as a spine for regional mobility" in the meantime. Eventually I-11, SR 30 and other supporting parkways and arterial streets will go into the city to adequately support the its needs.
Connectivity was also identified as a significant concern with more roads needed to network between existing streets, especially in areas between I-10, MC 85, SR 85 and Perryville Road.
"Planning for the addition of these corridors is key to ensure that there is connectivity to the larger region, expanding the City’s economic development market area," reads the TMP. "Several of these regionally significant corridors are currently being studied by partnering agencies, and the City of Buckeye has been an active partner in these planning efforts. These studies were evaluated for this TMP and were instrumental in creating recommendations for the future Buckeye transportation network."
Multimodal Options
At the Dec. 2 meeting, City Council took action to approve the new Transit Master Plan, further detailing points addressed in the TMP. Both documents assert that the city needs an increase in multimodal options for transportation. This includes bicycle routes and bus routes.
Maintaining Transportation Infrastructure
System sustainability is a key issue when considering transportation improvements and expansion, especially how the City will fund those operations. The TMP provided potential funding sources for these needs, detailed in the document.
"Although substantial portions of the City’s future transportation network are driven by development, once the transportation network is built, the City will be responsible for operating and maintaining this network," reads the TMP. "Maintaining roadways and drainage systems is a significant cost for all municipal governments."
Additional Information
The adoption of the TMP was unanimously approved by City Council on Dec. 16.
The full TMP document can be found HERE.
City documents and the Council meeting presentation can be found HERE.
