If you live in DC Ranch, or you are buying or selling there this winter, you already know the merge. Four lanes and two bike lanes narrow onto one bridge. The city is building the second span now. Here is what that means on a weekday showing, and what I will not pretend it does to a price.
What the Project Builds
The City of Scottsdale project page places the work on Thompson Peak Parkway over the Reata Wash. It says the four lanes, plus two bicycle lanes, merge into two travel lanes and two bicycle lanes on the existing bridge. The 2019 bond item on that page also calls the wash the Reata Pass Wash. I use both names because the city uses both.
The project adds a second two-lane bridge that mirrors the existing bridge, with bike lanes and a sidewalk. I will not tell you which side of the road it sits on. Inside the Valley compared the project page with the project history and found them inconsistent about which side of the road the new span is on. I will not put a direction in a listing remark.
The finished condition is the part the city states cleanly. When the work is complete, the project page says Thompson Peak Parkway will be a continuous four-lane road with bike lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street. The city's stated reason is roadway safety for drivers and cyclists. The summary says the second bridge will improve safety in the area. The history says that as bicycle traffic grew, the single bridge became a safety concern for motorists and cyclists, even though it had kept up with vehicle volume. Bond Project 62 is named as a bridge to improve safety.
Budget, Contract, and the Hotline
The city lists the budget at $14,200,000. Most of the money, it says, comes from the 2019 Bond Election, Question 2, Community Spaces and Infrastructure, Project 62. The remainder is the 0.2% Transportation Sales Tax. Inside the Valley reports that voters approved $6.3 million for this bridge in that 2019 package. That is not the construction contract, and it is not the full budget. The same article reports that City Council approved an Ames Construction contract of $8,085,461.26 on September 22, 2026. The Valley Now also records the $14.2 million project. Those three figures are not interchangeable.
The hotline on the city page is 602-290-0729. That is the number I give a client who wants the city's schedule. I do not guess a lane change the city has not posted.
The Timeline
Inside the Valley reports a groundbreaking on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and says physical construction began Monday, November 2. The Valley Now records the same two dates. The city page says work begins that Monday, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and that construction takes approximately 12 months. The page does not list an opening date. Inside the Valley says no official opening date has been announced. I will not turn "about 12 months" into a month I can promise.
What Phase 1 Does to the Drive
The city's construction note says phase 1 is native plant salvage and relocation, underground utility identification and possible relocation, and shaft drilling for the bridge supports. Much of that work is below grade in the Reata Wash. Travel lanes will not be impacted during this phase. The contractor's staging area and a temporary plant nursery are on site. The Valley Now describes that early work as largely below the road, with lanes staying open. Inside the Valley reports the city had not released a lane-impact schedule for later phases. Phase 1 is not a promise for the whole year. If a later phase changes the drive, the hotline is the update.
Keep the bridge job separate from a lot question. This is road work in the wash. It is not a drainage report on a homesite. For that, use how to check a North Scottsdale lot or home for wash and drainage risk.
Why There Was Only One Bridge
The project history says that when DC Ranch was built, the city and the developer agreed the developer would design the Thompson Peak Parkway bridges over the Reata Wash and build only one, because traffic in the new community did not justify the second. When traffic warranted it, the city was required to build the other bridge. I am leaving the side of the road out of that sentence on purpose. One bridge was built. The second one is the city's project now.
DC Ranch, Grayhawk, and McDowell Mountain Ranch
Inside the Valley describes this crossing as the pinch point for commuters in DC Ranch, Grayhawk, and McDowell Mountain Ranch, between Scottsdale Road and 100th Street. That is how I use the road with clients. DC Ranch sits on the parkway. Buyers comparing Grayhawk and McDowell Mountain Ranch use it too. The communities themselves are in the DC Ranch comparison, what it is like to live in Grayhawk, and the McDowell Mountain Ranch buyer guide. North Scottsdale is wider than this one bridge. Drive it on a weekday between 7 and 5 if the house you want uses this stretch.
Showing and Listing During the Work
Say it on the first call, and put it in the showing notes if you are listing. The project is underway. Phase 1 leaves the travel lanes open. The city expects about 12 months and has not published an opening date. Crews are scheduled Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with staging and a temporary plant nursery on site, so give a weekday tour a few extra minutes. Do not assume a later phase will be this quiet. Covenant and design-review questions belong in that checklist, not in a sentence about the bridge.
I will not tell you the bridge raises values. The city has not published a price effect, and I do not invent one. The long-term fact I will say is the city's: a continuous four-lane parkway with bike lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street, described as better roadway safety for drivers and cyclists. The other questions winter buyers ask are in what winter buyers ask at the first showing.
FAQ: Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge
When did construction start, and how long will it take? The city says work begins Monday, November 2, 2026, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., for approximately 12 months. Inside the Valley reports an October 27, 2026 groundbreaking, a November 2 start, and no official opening date.
Will Thompson Peak Parkway close? The city says travel lanes will not be impacted in phase 1, while crews salvage native plants, identify or relocate utilities, and drill shafts below grade in the Reata Wash. Inside the Valley and The Valley Now also say lanes stay open in that phase. Inside the Valley reports no published lane schedule for later phases.
What does the finished project change? The city says the finished parkway is a continuous four-lane road with bike lanes from Scottsdale Road to 100th Street. This post does not state which side the new span is on, because the city's own descriptions disagree.
Who drives this stretch? Inside the Valley names commuters in DC Ranch, Grayhawk, and McDowell Mountain Ranch.
Should the bridge change my offer price? I do not use it that way. The city has not published a price effect. I will tell you the schedule, that phase 1 leaves the lanes open, and what the city says the finished road will be.
Who do I call? The project hotline on the city page is 602-290-0729. For a showing plan, call (602) 622-1226 or start from my agent page.
Author Bio
Darren Tackett is the founder of The Tackett Team at eXp Realty, at 20551 N. Pima Road, Suite 185, Scottsdale, AZ 85255. I have advised Northeast Valley buyers and sellers for more than 30 years. The Tackett Team is the #1 Mega Team in Arizona (RealTrends 2025).