"This project is set to be a game-changer, and I'm so proud we're able to deliver what our community has been asking for," District 6 Councilman Kevin Robinson told Arcadia News, after city streets staff updated the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association at its annual meeting. Now there's a start date. The City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department plans to begin construction on 56th Street between Thomas Road and Camelback Road on October 12, 2026, and expects to finish in Fall 2028.
You'll feel the next two years of cones and barricades along 1.5 miles of Arcadia. This road project didn't start in a city office. It started with neighbors and school parents who spent close to a decade describing the street they wanted. The finished street keeps the same two travel lanes. Nearly everything beside those lanes gets rebuilt for a kid on a bike, a parent with a stroller, or anyone walking to the canal.
Nine Years From Survey to Shovel
The timeline explains why the design looks the way it does.
- February 2017. Residents from the Arcadia Osborn and Arcadia Camelback Mountain neighborhood associations joined school and PTA leaders, city staff, and the District 6 office to form the "SAVES and Connects 56th Street" effort.
- 2017 school survey. More than 600 school families answered the group's survey, and parents sent in more than 250 written comments. Most of the comments were about getting kids to school safely and controlling speed.
- Summer and fall 2018. The city held three open houses for the 56th Street Corridor Study on June 20, July 18, and September 26. About 330 residents attended and weighed in on design elements and different street layouts. Arcadia News reported that attendees voted on design concepts and raised concerns about speeding, the roundabout, missing sidewalks, and signals.
- 2019. The neighborhood group asked residents to email members of a City Council subcommittee before it voted on a funding recommendation.
- May 2022. Final design began for the full project.
- March 3, 2026. The city received three construction bids.
- May 20, 2026. The contract award to Hunter Contracting Co. was on the City Council's formal meeting agenda.
- October 12, 2026. Construction begins.
The project also started with a small grant. The Maricopa Association of Governments awarded a design assistance grant that helped shape the early concept. Nine years later, that concept has become a construction contract worth more than $23 million.
Two Lanes Before, Two Lanes After
Some neighbors may expect a road diet, where the city takes away a driving lane. The design doesn't do that. The city's drawings show two travel lanes plus a turn lane where needed. In some sections there's a landscape buffer between the traffic and the path on one side, both sides, or neither. The project materials don't announce a change to the speed limit.
The new space comes from the edges of the street. The city's project list includes:
- A 10- to 12-foot multi-use path that the city describes as built "for younger cyclists, school-age children, families and pedestrians"
- A continuous path on both the west and east sides of 56th Street
- A 24-inch storm drain running the full length from Thomas Road to Camelback Road
- Low-water-use shade trees next to the sidewalk and the path
- Possible changes to the existing roundabout at Exeter Boulevard
- Curb ramps and sidewalks brought up to current ADA standards
- Traffic-calming features to slow speeds
That first line describes who the street is being built for. The design changed along the way. The 2018 concepts showed separated bike lanes and sidewalks. The current plan uses one shared path on each side. A wide shared path suits a ten-year-old on a bike and a parent walking beside them, and those families are the people who filled out the 2017 survey.
The storm drain is the least visible part, and you'll likely feel it longest during construction. Arcadia News described it as a fix for long-standing drainage problems along 56th Street. A pipe running the whole corridor means digging along the whole corridor.
The One Intersection the City Spelled Out
The construction notice says signals will be updated at five intersections and landscaping improved throughout the corridor. The city has described only one of those five in detail, and it's another request that came from residents. On the project page, under the heading "You Asked, We Listened!", the city says people asked for a left-turn arrow onto 56th Street from eastbound Camelback and from 56th Street onto westbound Camelback.
"We will deliver this important community improvement and take it one step further. Our team designed a complete signal rebuild into the project."
The Camelback and 56th Street rebuild includes green, solid yellow, red, and flashing yellow arrows for all approaches. It also adds a dedicated left-turn lane for northbound 56th Street, push buttons and countdown timers for pedestrians on all four sides, and new ADA ramps on every corner. The city hasn't named the other four intersections in its written materials. Until it does, expect signal work somewhere along the corridor without assuming which corners.
Where the Work Zone Meets Your Week
Construction starts at the south end, between Thomas Road and Indian School Road. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city says some night and weekend work may be scheduled when needed to reduce impacts on the community. Those weekday hours cover most of the school day, including the morning drop-off window.
The project is formally split into two pieces. Phase 1 runs from Indian School Road to Camelback Road, and Phase 2 runs from Thomas Road to Indian School Road. The city's project page lists October 2026 as the start for both phases. The construction notice says crews will begin on the southern segment first. Read together, early work should stay south of Indian School, and the northern stretch toward Camelback will feel the work later.
These are the places along the corridor that the city's plans name:
- Veritas Preparatory Academy and Arcadia Park. Both are labeled on the city's June 2026 final project map, along with the Osborn and Indian School crossings.
- Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and The Church of Jesus Christ. Both appear on the project's design drawings.
- The Arizona Canal and Arizona Canal Trail. The corridor crosses both, and the 2018 study looked specifically at the trail-side frontage.
- Ingleside Middle School. It sits at 5402 E. Osborn Road, close to the 56th Street and Osborn crossing.
- The Exeter Boulevard roundabout. Residents named it in their earliest complaints about speeding, and the city lists it for possible changes.
The city hasn't published lane closure details yet. It says more notices will go out as specific work and traffic changes are scheduled. If a detour route matters to your school run or commute, you'll find out from those notices before it starts.
What the Contract Says About the Timeline
Hunter Contracting Co. submitted the lowest responsive bid at $23,142,664.40. The city's own cost estimate was $26,430,460.50, and the next bidder, Combs Construction Company, came in at $29,468,633.35. The council report asked for a 10 percent contingency on top of the bid because of "volatile material costs and increased labor prices," and set the maximum contract value at $25,456,930.40. The project uses federal funds along with the Street Transportation Department's capital budget.
The contract runs 660 calendar days from the city's notice to proceed, and the agreement allows work to continue past that date. Earlier estimates in the neighborhood press had cost and timing that no longer apply. Arcadia News once reported about $14 million for the northern phase and $9 million for the southern phase, with a hoped-for winter 2025 start. The current dates are the October 2026 start and Fall 2028 finish.
Hunter Contracting will work with the city's outreach team on construction notices. These are the direct contacts if you have questions or concerns:
- Project website and update sign-up: phoenix.gov/streets/56thStreet
- Project hotline: 623-825-3444
- Email: [email protected]
The detailed drawings, including the June 2026 final project map and the 90 percent design roll plots, are linked from the city's project page. The drawings cover the full corridor from Thomas to Camelback.
If your home is on or near 56th Street and you're deciding whether to sell, list, or wait while the street is torn up, The Pontikas Team can walk you through the construction timeline and how it might affect showings and timing for your property. A free home valuation gives you a clear starting point.
