Morning traffic jam caused by ADOT permits

City officials were almost as upset as the frustrated drivers who faced a traffic log jam on the morning commute this week in Maricopa.

Northbound traffic on State Route 347 was squeezed down to one lane at Smith Enke Road. The results were vehicles at a standstill south of the railroad tracks.

“It was entirely unnecessary,” Public Works Director Bill Fay said. “The developer is doing work right up against the right of way, and [the Arizona Department of Transportation] issued permits for them to close the lanes. We didn’t even know about it until we were driving to work or driving to the grocery store and everything was backed up everywhere.”

Vintage Partners, developers of Maricopa Station, which is being built next to CVS, had been working in the early mornings along State Route 347. ADOT’s permitting section in Tucson issued the permits for the lane closures.

“The city has no control over that,” Fay said. “It’s entirely in ADOT’s hands, and we can’t do anything.”

He said theoretically the police can step in for public safety purposes in an emergency. Maricopa had to do that on recent ADOT projects, such as the timing of a light on the north end of town.

In this case, Fay said, city officials talked to the Vintage developer, “who’s doing exactly what he’s permitted to do.”