Julian Dreesang, deputy public works director for the Town of Queen Creek, presented a draft Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update the town expects to finalize and send to the Town Council for adoption in November.

Dreesang said the TMP is a 25‑year roadmap that updates the town’s previous plan (2016, updated 2020) to reflect rapid population growth and changing mobility needs. He said Queen Creek’s population has grown from about 2,500 in 1990 to nearly 90,000 today and that build‑out projections approach 150,000 by 2050; the TMP therefore focuses on the next 25 years of investment and operations.

The draft plan sections include a review of past studies, existing and future conditions (travel patterns, road classifications and projected traffic volumes), active‑transportation needs (sidewalks, bike lanes and shared‑use paths), freight movement, safety considerations and project prioritization. Dreesang said the planning process included public outreach (a website, a survey that yielded about 800 responses and event booths) and coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and the Maricopa Association of Governments.

Dreesang described the plan’s technical work: 96 candidate projects were identified and prioritized using weighting tied to the plan’s goals (ease of travel, activity centers, safety and multimodal access). The consultant split the town into quadrants to map near‑term (10‑year) priorities, which include roadway widenings, bike facilities and corridor technology. Dreesang noted that some corridors — including Riggs, Meridian and parts of Hunt Highway and Sossaman — show large projected increases in traffic by 2050, particularly as large master developments such as Box Canyon build out, and that staff will continue to update modeling and adjust project timing as growth occurs.

Dreesang said a separate safety action plan will follow to dive deeper into crash data and safety interventions. The transportation team aims to finalize the TMP soon and present it to Council for formal adoption in November; the final document will be posted to the town website for public review.

Commissioners asked questions about projected traffic in the Box Canyon and Hunt Highway areas, how county islands and right‑of‑way shading appear on the maps, and whether some projects may be moved earlier in the schedule if growth outpaces projections. Dreesang said staff will follow up with the consultant to clarify map shading and continue refining project timing.