Scottsdale Property Owners Unhappy with Tunnel and Bridge

In August, the Scottsdale Transportation Commission unanimously voted down a proposal to build a tunnel under Indian Bend Road. Residents who worried the tunnel would take up too much Scottsdale property can now rest easy, or can they?

The tunnel would have been used to carry increased traffic "under the two-lane road as it runs between Scottsdale and Hayden roads." But now that the idea has been nixed, what to do with the excess traffic?

The commission has instead "approved plans to widen the road to four lanes and construct a bridge structure to divert water." Now residents who wanted to preserve their Scottsdale property are worried that the bridge will obstruct views of the Indian Bend Greenbelt.

Well, on thing is certain, the bridge only costs $12 million, while the tunnel would have cost $60 million. The difference in price was a greater deciding factor than Scottsdale property and greenbelt views.