Thompson Peak Parkway runs between E. Desert Camp Drive and E. Windgate Pass Drive, and at the Reata Pass Wash its four travel lanes drop to two. The two bike lanes keep going, squeezed onto a single span with the cars. Then the road opens back up on the far side.
The narrowing is the unbuilt half of a crossing planned more than two decades ago. In September, Scottsdale City Council awarded the contract to finish it.
Half a Crossing, Built on Purpose
The bridge you drive today was always meant to be half the job. City transportation staff explained to the Paths & Trails Subcommittee in August 2025, according to the subcommittee's meeting minutes, that DC Ranch built the eastbound bridge in 2000 as a "half street improvement" for the development. The original design included a westbound bridge that the City of Scottsdale would build. It never got built.
The city's project page adds detail to that history. When DC Ranch was built, the city and the developer agreed that the developer would design both Reata Wash bridges but only construct one, because the new community didn't yet have the traffic to justify two. The second bridge was supposed to follow once traffic grew enough to need it.
The page says the single bridge has kept up with car traffic. Bikes changed the math. The city says growing bicycle traffic on this stretch has turned the merge into a safety concern for drivers and cyclists alike.
So the second bridge isn't a new idea. It finishes a road that has had four lanes on paper since the day the first span opened.
Why the Wait Ran From 2000 to 2026
Subcommittee members asked the obvious question in 2025: why did this take so long? Staff answered that other infrastructure had taken priority and that funding was a factor. A city staffer added that 2019 was the first time since 2000 that bonds went to voters.
From there, the record moves quickly:
- 2000: DC Ranch builds the eastbound bridge. The westbound half stays on the drawings.
- 2019: Voters approve Question 2, Community Spaces and Infrastructure. Project 62 is the bridge, described as "Build a Bridge on Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge over Reata Pass Wash to Improve Safety." According to the DC Ranch community's bridge page, the community's advocacy made it the only transportation project in that bond election.
- June 2024: Council's FY24/25 budget funds the design work.
- March 2025: Kimley-Horn is hired as design consultant and starts the required environmental and cultural resource surveys.
- August 2025: The project reaches 30 percent design and goes to the Paths & Trails Subcommittee.
- July 2026: The city shares its initial designs with the DC Ranch Community Council, which sends written feedback.
- September 9, 2026: The city schedules a public open house at The Homestead on the design concept and construction timeline.
- September 17, 2026: Staff present the final design to the Transportation Commission.
- September 22, 2026: Council approves the construction contract on consent.
What Ames Construction Is Building
The September 22 council agenda shows Resolution No. 13778 approving Contract No. 27IBF097 with Ames Construction, Inc., for up to $8,085,461.26. The city lists the total project budget at $14.2 million. Most of that comes from the 2019 bond, and the rest from the city's 0.2 percent transportation sales tax. The Citizen Portal summary of the September 17 Transportation Commission meeting reports that staff said bids came in below the engineering estimate.
The new span is a westbound bridge. Once it opens, the existing bridge carries eastbound traffic only and westbound traffic moves to the new structure. The 2025 concept matched the existing bridge: two 12-foot travel lanes, a five-foot bike lane, a five-foot sidewalk, and a separation barrier between the sidewalk and traffic. Staff said the barrier follows the standard used on the Hayden Miller Bridge and was added for pedestrian safety. A noise study was part of the plan, to determine whether a noise wall or landscaping would be needed.
The bigger change is up and down the corridor. The city says the new bridge completes Thompson Peak Parkway's ultimate cross-section, with a continuous four-lane road and bike lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street. The Reata Wash crossing is the last gap in that run. The city also says the project will improve access to nearby parks and schools.
How the Design Moved From Concept to Final
The big question for the 2026 half is whether it will look like it belongs beside the 2000 half. The design went through community review and reached its final version in September 2026.
When the city shared its initial designs in July 2026, the DC Ranch Community Council sent back specific feedback. Here is how that feedback lines up against the 2025 concept:
| Element | 2025 concept, at 30% design | DC Ranch Community Council feedback, July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Stone facing | Aesthetics to match the existing eastbound bridge | Fake stone not acceptable. Use DC Cobble to match the original bridge |
| Barrier | Separation barrier between sidewalk and traffic | Jersey barriers along the full length not acceptable |
| Sidewalk | Five-foot sidewalk | Suggested removing it and continuing the natural path through the wash |
| Railings | Not specified | Metal acceptable if it matches the original design. Replace the original bridge's railings with metal too, since they are in poor condition |
| Arched supports | Not specified | Removal not preferred, though the city's cost savings were called understandable |
Back in 2025, staff had told the subcommittee that bike lane width and barrier placement could still change at the 30 percent stage. By September 17, 2026, staff were presenting a final design to the Transportation Commission. According to the Citizen Portal summary, they flagged one aesthetic change, a metal feature replacing wood for longevity. That matches the direction DC Ranch accepted on railings. The summary doesn't say how the stone, barrier, sidewalk and arch requests were settled.
City ordinance also requires a public art element on the project, a requirement DC Ranch has noted in its updates since 2025.
Spring 2027 or Fall 2027
The schedule has two versions. The city's project page, last updated August 28, 2026, says construction should begin in fall 2026 and take about 12 months. That puts completion around fall 2027, though the city doesn't print an exact date. In an earlier update, DC Ranch said it had worked with the city to move completion up from 2028 to spring 2027. Both point to 2027. They're about two seasons apart. At the September 17 Transportation Commission meeting, staff said construction was expected to start in October.
The city's traffic restrictions page, last updated May 21, 2026, lists no Thompson Peak Parkway restrictions. That page and the project page are where lane shifts, bike lane impacts and work hours should show up once Ames mobilizes.
Questions about how a project like this affects day-to-day life in DC Ranch, or how the finished Thompson Peak corridor might matter for a home near it, come up in our conversations with neighbors all the time. If you're curious what your own home is worth as the area changes, The Castro Group would be glad to put together a free home valuation and talk it through with you.
