County turns flood control corridor into trail
To the untrained eye, the 26-mile maintenance road bordering a Maricopa County, Ariz., flood control channel does not look like anything special. But to Maricopa County officials, it looks like a place to hike, ride bikes and horses, play soccer and watch fireworks.
Last year, the county’s Flood Control District decided to transform the maintenance road into an alternative transportation route for community residents. When it is finished, the Superstition San Tan Corridor (named for the mountains on either side of the corridor) and Marathon Trail will be a testament to their foresight.
“The opportunities for this corridor are boundless,” says Mike Ellegood, chief engineer and general manager of the district. “Electric companies use the roads along their installations for recreation. There is no reason why people shouldn’t be able to enjoy ours. County residents paid for these roads with their taxes.”
The county’s decision to turn the maintenance road into a trail came on the heels of a study that determined the floodway was incapable of holding enough stormwater. It was clear that basins would be needed to control some of the excess.
The basins eventually would become major features of the corridor. For example, the town of Gilbert plans to convert its 300-acre basin into a park that can be used for community celebrations.
Additionally, two golf courses have been built along the floodway. They help absorb and channel some of the water. Plans for the construction of more courses are in the works, as are plans for the construction of soccer fields, Frisbee golf courses, rollerblading facilities and wildlife habitats.
Four cities – Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek – are located along the corridor. Queen Creek plans to eventually link two major equestrian trails to the corridor, and the Queen Creek and Sanokai washes will take riders from the proposed 300-acre Gilbert park to the San Tan Regional Park, a distance of roughly eight miles.
“Public polls continue to show that valley residents are extremely concerned about preserving open space and providing recreation opportunities,” says Mark Schnepf, a trail advocate and former Queen Creek mayor.
“As the valley continues to develop, it is important that we make the most of our open space,” says Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, who serves as chairman of the Maricopa County Trail Commission. “We hope to make the corridor so beautiful that people will want to have their homes face it, like they do with golf courses.”
Brock’s colleague, County Supervisor Don Stapley, says the corridor could become an economic engine for the four communities adjacent to the floodway. “The corridor could become a landmark for the East Valley,” he says. “It could attract new, small businesses and provide incentives to larger companies [looking to relocate].”
The Superstition San Tan Corridor is the planned first phase in a 225-mile Maricopa County Trail Program. For more information, contact Maricopa County Public Information Officer Kris Baxter or Senior Project Manager Tim Phillips at (602) 506-1501.