By Jeremy Duda | Axios
City officials, neighborhood leaders and others gathered Tuesday for the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 3 of Phoenix’s Grand Canalscape project, which will improve the waterway in the Maryvale area.
Driving the news: The third phase will cover the Grand Canal from 47th Avenue just north of Osborn Road to 75th Avenue and Camelback Road, at the boundary of Glendale.
- Pedestrian and bicycle paths, trees, lighting, public art and fitness areas will be added to the north side of the canal, with a new pedestrian bridge at 63rd Avenue and HAWK crossing signals at major streets along the way.
- SRP, which manages the canal, will continue using the south side for maintenance.
What to watch: The project is expected to be completed sometime next year.
- The first segment of the project will be between 75th and 67th avenues.
Why it matters: Phoenix City Council member Betty Guardado, who represents the area, said voters often told her during her 2019 campaign that they wanted such enhancements and to “put Maryvale back on the map.”
- Guardado championed Phase 3 through Maryvale after attending the ribbon-cutting for the previous phase at Central Avenue and the Grand Canal in 2020.
- The project shows residents the city “is finally investing and that they have a place that they can gather.”
- “They see a lot of these things on the east side of the Valley and they don’t see much of these resources on the west side. And that’s been one of my commitments,” Guardado told us Tuesday morning after the groundbreaking ceremony.
