May 10, 2006

HIDDEN VALLEY - The controversy surrounding the sudden closing of the mountain pass portion of Meadowview Road, one of the main access routes to the southeastern portion of Hidden Valley, has been put to rest with the announcement Tuesday that the detour route and the remaining stretches of Meadowview from Amarillo Valley Road to Arizona 347 are to be paved beginning with the chip-sealing of Javalina Road on Thursday.

When residents woke up May 2, those who normally climbed into their vehicles and headed east for Stanfield or Casa Grande fully expected to roll onto Meadowview Road, negotiate the mountain pass beginning at Liebre Road and then raise some dust as they soared down the flat, one-mile stretch to Arizona 347. On that morning, as they approached the pass, the motorists were shocked when they encountered a road-closed sign and one of the county's road graders chewing up large chunks of ground, making the entire pass look like a war zone.

They quickly discovered by virtue of some hastily erected signs that they were now obliged to follow a set of arrows, which took them north on Liebre Road to Javalina Road, east to Osa Road and then south to Meadowview Road where, after making a left turn, they were now headed for Arizona 347, where a right turn and a short jaunt of a couple hundred yards would take them to Arizona 84 and a clear path to Stanfield and points east.

When asked about the matter that afternoon, David Snider, county supervisor for District 3, was under the impression that the abandonment was done because of safety and liability issues. Working with information given to him by his highway foreman, Anthony Allen, Snider said that there had been too many fatalities on a hazardous stretch of road that not only rose and then dropped sharply, but also curved to a near 90 degrees in between the downgrades.

"My understanding is that there will be a few tenths-of-a-mile added but that the detour will enhance travel from that area of Hidden Valley to Highway 347, because it will consist of paved roads," Snider said.

During an interview at the site a week later, Allen, who is a 21-year resident in the area, said: "I just didn't want to see another person killed on that deadly curve. Sure, we post signs that advise a 25-miles-per-hour speed limit, but most people exceed that, not knowing how easy it is to hydroplane on a dirt surface. We also needed to consider the liability to the county... to the taxpayers."

Allen outlined the paving plans that he and Snider were certain would assuage the wounded feelings resulting from the closing of the pass. For one thing, Amarillo Valley Road is already paved from Arizona 84 to just north of Javalina Road, and the plans are to pave it the rest of the way north to Clayton Road, which also is paved and empties onto Arizona 347, which provides another more convenient passage for area folks who are heading up to Maricopa.

Beginning Thursday, Javalina Road will be paved from Amarillo Valley Road east to where it joins with Osa Road. Then Osa Road will receive the chip-seal treatment down to Meadowview Road. The plan includes the paving of Meadowview on both sides of the pass, all the way east to Arizona 347 and on the west side of the pass to Amarillo Valley Road. Additionally, Liebre Road is to be paved from Meadowview Road to Javalina Road, which creates another link to the paved detour for folks on the east side of the community.

Both Snider and Allen felt that once all the paving was done, all feelings over the closing of the pass would be assuaged. "Once done, the new paved routes will give area residents a much more convenient and safer way to get to and from Highway 347," Snider said.

©Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. 2006