The project is being financed with $27 million from a bondelection and $4.4-million grant from the federal government fortransportation development. Tim Conner, Scottsdale's principalplanner, says the streetscape's master plan is making its waythrough the development and approval process. The public, planningdepartment, city council and Arizona Department of Transportationstill have to sign off on the final plan.

Conner says the 2009 construction start will focus on thesouthern part of the thoroughfare between Roosevelt Street andEarll Drive. The time line for subsequent phases hasn't beendetermined.

Conner says the move to unify Scottsdale Road through designelements, landscaping and pedestrian walkways began in 1998 whencitizens participated in a charrette led by John Meurnier, thenDean of Arizona State University's College of Architecture. "Theyset the vision and saw there was a need to unify Scottsdale Roadbecause of its importance to the community and the overall Valley,"Conner says.