The spot where Thompson Peak Parkway drops from four lanes to two over the Reata Pass Wash was never meant to stay that way. When DC Ranch was built, the City of Scottsdale and the community's developer agreed that the developer would design two bridges over the wash and build only one, because the young community didn't have enough traffic to need both. Several decades of growth later, the second bridge is under contract.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, Scottsdale City Council approved the construction contract on consent with no separate discussion. That puts the other half of the original design on track to be built, close to a year of work starting this fall.
With the contract signed, the open questions are whether the new bridge will look like it belongs next to the old one, and how drivers, cyclists and path users will get through while it's built.
A Bottleneck Written Into the Original Plan
Today, as described on the city's Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge project page, the four travel lanes and two bike lanes on Thompson Peak squeeze into two travel lanes and two bike lanes to cross the existing bridge.
Under the original agreement, the city had to build the second bridge on the east side of the roadway once traffic volume warranted it. The city also gives a second reason for the project. It says the existing bridge has kept up with vehicle volume, but the increase in bicycle traffic on this stretch has made the narrowing a safety concern for both drivers and riders.
The finished layout is simple. The new bridge will carry two lanes and mirror the existing one, with bike lanes and a sidewalk. When it opens, Thompson Peak Parkway will run as a continuous four-lane road with bike lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street. The city also says the completed roadway will improve access to nearby parks and schools.
For DC Ranch, that matters well beyond rush hour. The Thompson Peak corridor is part of how the community's paths and trails network connects across the wash, and the bid documents describe more than a new deck for cars.
What Ames Construction Is Actually Building
The contract is No. 27IBF097 with Ames Construction, Inc., authorized under Resolution No. 13778 for up to $8,085,461.26. The city's bid listing describes the scope as roadway, bridge, drainage, striping and signage improvements to Thompson Peak Parkway at the Reata Pass Wash. The work includes:
- Drilled shaft foundations for the bridge abutments and piers
- Bridge substructure and superstructure, plus retaining walls
- Roadway paving, concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk
- A stabilized shared-use path
- Grading, drainage, landscape and irrigation
- Signing and marking
- Stone façade treatments on the bridge
Scottsdale Progress quoted the staff report's note that the project "includes a public art component and minor improvements to the current bridge." The DC Ranch Community Council has also noted that city ordinance requires a public art element on this project. None of the published material reviewed for this post names an artist or describes the artwork.
The Price Tag, Read Three Ways
This project has three dollar figures attached to it, and each measures something different.
| Figure | What it represents | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $6.3 million | Amount in the 2019 bond package voters approved for the bridge | Scottsdale Progress |
| $8,085,461.26 | Maximum value of the Ames Construction contract approved Sept. 22, 2026 | City Council agenda |
| $14,200,000 | Total project budget on the city's project page, last updated Aug. 28, 2026 | City of Scottsdale |
Scottsdale Progress framed the jump from $6.3 million to about $8 million as one more 2019 bond project coming in "far north of the original estimate." At the Sept. 17 Transportation Commission meeting, city staff gave the other side of the same number. Bids came in below the engineering estimate, according to Citizen Portal's summary of that meeting.
Both readings are accurate. The contract costs more than the figure on the 2019 ballot and less than the engineers projected. The $14.2 million on the city's page is the overall project budget, and the construction contract is a ceiling within it. The city says most of the money comes from voters' 2019 approval of Question 2, Project 62, with the rest from the 0.2% Transportation Sales Tax.
DC Ranch had a direct hand in getting it funded. The DC Ranch Community Council says its advocacy is why the bridge expansion was the only transportation project in the 2019 Scottsdale Bond Election.
Matching the Original Bridge
If the second bridge is meant to complete a design DC Ranch started with, it should look like it. That is where the community's attention has gone. In July 2026, after reviewing the city's initial drawings with its board, the DC Ranch Community Council sent the city this feedback:
- Stone: Fake stone is not acceptable. The new bridge should use DC Cobble to match the original.
- Barriers: Jersey barriers along the full length of the bridge are unacceptable. The council suggested dropping the sidewalk and continuing the natural path through the wash.
- Arched supports: Removing the arches under the bridge is not preferred, but the council called the cost savings understandable.
- Railings: Metal railings instead of wood are acceptable if the design matches the original bridge. The original bridge's railings, which the council described as in poor condition, should also be replaced with metal as part of the project.
Some of that feedback has a visible answer. At the Sept. 17 commission meeting, staff said a metal feature would replace wood for longevity while matching the existing bridge's style. That lines up with the council's railing position. The "minor improvements to the current bridge" in the staff report fit the request to replace the old railings, though the published summary doesn't spell that out.
The rest is less settled. The bid scope includes "bridge stone façade aesthetic treatments," but the public listing doesn't say whether that stone will be DC Cobble. The scope also still lists a sidewalk alongside the stabilized shared-use path, while the council had suggested removing the sidewalk in favor of the wash path. No published document reviewed here shows how the city resolved the barrier, sidewalk or stone requests. Until the city or the community council says so, those items remain requests, not final design.
The community council announced a public open house on the design and construction schedule for Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Homestead. No account of what came out of that meeting has been published in the sources reviewed.
The Calendar, and What Hasn't Been Published
The schedule has moved more than once, and older figures are still online. In July 2025, the DC Ranch Community Council said it had worked with the city to move completion up from 2028 to spring 2027. The city's newer page, updated Aug. 28, 2026, says construction is expected to begin in fall 2026 and take approximately 12 months. On that schedule, the spring 2027 date no longer applies. A fall 2026 start plus about a year points to roughly fall 2027.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| June 2024 | FY24/25 city budget includes design funds |
| July 2025 | Design phase underway with Kimley-Horn as consultant |
| July 2026 | DC Ranch Community Council sends design feedback |
| Aug. 20, 2026 | Construction bids close |
| Sept. 9, 2026 | Public open house at The Homestead |
| Sept. 17, 2026 | Final design presented to Transportation Commission |
| Sept. 22, 2026 | Council approves Ames Construction contract |
| Fall 2026 | Construction expected to start, lasting about 12 months |
Staff told the Transportation Commission that work was slated to start in October. As of Oct. 12, the sources reviewed don't confirm that crews have mobilized.
The biggest gap for anyone who drives Thompson Peak every day is the traffic plan. The city's project page and bid listing don't describe lane restrictions, detours, work hours, or how the bike lanes, sidewalk and wash path will be handled during construction. Because the new bridge will be built beside the existing one, the current two-lane crossing is the structure traffic would logically keep using. That is an inference from the design, not a published commitment, and the actual phasing is Ames Construction's and the city's to announce.
For that information, the most direct sources are the city's project page and the DC Ranch Community Council's bridge update page, which has followed the project since 2023. Neighbors in McDowell Mountain Ranch who use Thompson Peak to reach Scottsdale Road will want to check the same pages.
The DC Ranch Community Council's account goes back to an agreement that called for two bridges and built one. Around fall 2027, if the 12-month schedule holds, Thompson Peak Parkway should run four lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street. The questions to watch now are whether the stone is DC Cobble and whether the railings match on both spans.
If you're thinking about what your DC Ranch home is worth before or after the bridge work wraps up, Mattisinko Group can put together a current valuation based on recent DC Ranch sales. Get a Free Home Valuation.
