In his “Meditations,” the Roman Emperor Marcus Auerelius advised: “It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul.”

North Scottsdale drivers feeling their souls being crushed by construction-caused traffic jams might keep that in mind.

The opportunities to meditate anxiety away will be plentiful, as the finish line for the biggest project in Scottsdale has been moved – extending lane closures, road shut downs and the inevitable back ups. 

The Dynamite Boulevard project has been dynamic, indeed.

A vote that “canceled” a circular intersection here is also extending road construction by six months.

While she voted against the change from roundabout to no-roundabout last year because of funding concerns, Mayor Lisa Borowsky noted, “I suspect the residents who use Scottsdale Road on a daily basis are no fans of this decision either, as their commute is further interrupted by additional major construction delays.”

The extension of the construction period tops toothy debate over whether or not Scottsdale City Council’s majority vote cost the city millions.

In the fall of 2024, a very-different City Council approved a roundabout at Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Boulevard as the anchor of a $43 million North Scottsdale road renovation.

Soon after, voters put Borowsky and council representatives Jan Dubauskas and Adam Kwasman into office.

On April 8, 2025, a 4-3 vote to squash the circle and stay linear at Scottsdale and Dynamite.

Though she stressed “I don’t like roundabouts, personally,” Borowsky was on the losing end when she voted not to “cancel” the previously-approved roundabout in North Scottsdale.

Councilwomen Solange Whitehead and Maryann McAllen voted with the mayor to oppose canceling the circle, but were overpowered by Kwasman, Dubauskas and holdover representatives Kathy Littlefield and Barry Graham.

The campaign season of 2026 reignited a debate over the project’s funding. Roundabout supporters – notably Whitehead – insist canceling the circular intersection “cost taxpayers millions of dollars.”

But Graham, like Whitehead up for reelection, claims that is “misinformation,” and the real story is a “funding swap” evened out financial support for the road renovation.

Meanwhile, one thing is indebatable: squashing the circle is adding to the project’s lifespan, as well as the anguish of drivers stuck in construction traffic.

The North Scottsdale Road renovation was initially to be finished by this summer.

Now …

“The project is currently anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026,” Holly Peralta, a city spokeswoman, confirmed.

Reason for the delay?

“The change from the roundabout design to a signalized intersection did result in additional design work,” Peralta explained, “and extended the overall project timeline by approximately six months.”

This comes as no surprise to Whitehead.

Before the cancel-the-roundabout vote, she said, “It was clear there would be delays and would cost taxpayers millions more.” 

As for the then-new mayor, despite making it clear she was not a fan of circular intersections, Borowsky sided with those who said it was too risky to disrupt previously-approved funding for the Jomax Road to Dixileta Drive improvement project.

According to a city webpage, the project “will convert this section of Scottsdale Road to a complete street to include landscaped medians, bike lanes, sidewalks and trails to improve safety, capacity and accessibility for motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.”

At the spring of 2025 meeting, Alison Tymkiw, a senior city engineer, noted “this roundabout is at a high-accident location and at a location where geometry favored installation.”

Her report warned “redesigning from a roundabout to a signalized intersection would be deemed a significant change in scope” and “such a scope change would result in forfeiture of $31,132,929 in federal funding.”

But there was what might be called a detour financial path, Tymkiw noted:

“The city could potentially exchange federal funding with regional funding … through the Maricopa Association of Governments.”

The funding has become a hot-button political issue, with pro-roundabout Councilwoman Solange Whitehead and anti-roundabout Councilman Barry Graham trading barbs.

Whitehead echoes Borowsky’s suspicions over a funding loss – while Graham is backed by City Manager Greg Caton’s office in saying a funding exchange covers the no-roundabout project.

A March email from City Hall declared:

“Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky is backing up her ‘no’ vote with newly released financial details divulged during last week’s City Council meeting confirming that the City Council’s 2025 vote to replace an already approved roundabout at Scottsdale and Dynamite roads with a signalized intersection will add $3.4 million in costs to the project.”

Incorrect, stated a sharp counter from the city manager’s office.

“City officials confirm the project remains within its approved $43.7 million budget and that funding for the corridor improvements has been preserved,” Peralta said via email.

Road work ahead

Shortly after the original roundabout-anchored project was approved, the Progress asked Kelly Corsette, then a city spokesman for a timeline.

“The project will begin in November,” Corsette said, “and is scheduled to be complete during the summer of 2026.”

That timeline was echoed on the city’s webpage for the project, which as of early this week listed “roadway construction” as “2024-2025.”

Now, however, the frequently asked questions section states the project “will be complete in late 2026.”

That information is correct, said Corsette’s successor.

“The updated timeline reflected in the FAQ section is intended to provide the most current construction schedule for the project,” Peralta said.

The major renovation of North Scottsdale’s busiest road has been brewing for years.

According to the “project history” section of the website, “On May 19, 2020 the City entered into an agreement with Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) for funding of design and construction for the majority of these improvements. 

“On July, 1 2020, the City Council approved an Engineering Services Contract with Ritoch-Powell and Associates, Inc. to provide preliminary assessments, complete design and construction documents.”

Whitehead and Littlefield were the only current representatives on City Council in 2020.

On April 2, 2024, city staff asked for approval of an $814,000 contract “for post-design services for the Scottsdale Road: Jomax Road to Dixileta Drive project.”

By then, Graham was voted onto City Council.

Graham asked then-Public Works Director Dan Worth why the Scottsdale-Dynamite circle was needed.

“We do see volumes from all four directions of the intersection that warrant a roundabout,” Worth said.

After noting this would be the first roundabout on Scottsdale Road, Graham asked if others were planned for the longest street in the city.

Worth said that while “additional projects” are planned on North Scottsdale Road, “I can’t tell you if we’ve made the determination as to what kind of intersection/traffic control we’re going to have for those projects.”

More houses and apartments are driving the road renovations in North Scottsdale, he added. “We anticipate development to the west” of Scottsdale Road, Worth noted.

The explanation apparently convinced Graham, who joined in a unanimous vote to approve preliminary work on the roundabout-anchored project.

Six months later, Graham and Littlefield opposed the roundabout funding. At a Sept. 24, 2024, meeting, they were out-voted by then-Mayor David Ortega and representatives Tammy Caputi, Tom Durham, Betty Janik and Whitehead.

The day after the vote, Graham took his fight to social media.

“You didn’t ask for it, but Scottsdale Road is getting a roundabout – like it or not,” Graham posted on X/Twitter.

“Last night, Council voted 5-2 to cover $30M in cost-overruns—215% OVER BUDGET—to squeeze in the controversial roundabout at Dynamite Blvd.

“Instead of getting answers,” Graham complained, “the Council majority defended the overruns and the project.”

In another six months, Graham led the fight to “cancel the roundabout,” brushing aside funding concerns raised by Borowsky and Whitehead.

Asked for a comment on the delay, Graham replied:

“After listening to residents who live in the area of Scottsdale Road and Dynamite who opposed constructing a permanent roundabout in their neighborhood, I stand by my vote to upgrade the intersection to a signalized intersection.”

Graham reiterated his claim that in 2025 he voted against “a $29.8M overrun—215% over the original budget.”

Graham concluded, “In 2025, working closely with city staff, the conservative council majority requested exchanging grant funding for the roundabout for a signalized intersection. That funding was successfully secured.” 

Borowsky also stands by her vote, saying Graham has it all wrong.

“Prior to the Council vote on the roundabout to signal agenda item, I asked our transportation director what impact the re-scope would have on the time to completion at the intersection,” Borowsky told the Progress.

“She confirmed that the change would result in an extra six to eight months of construction time.”

Borowsky stressed it’s not just about time: “In addition to the delay and inconvenience caused by the decision to re-scope the intersection, it also resulted in a significant financial burden for our taxpayers. First, the city was forced to waive (give back) $31 million in federal funding previously awarded for the project. Plus, because of the re-scope, the new signalized project results in a $3.4 million actual cost increase.”

Borowsky again noted she is “not a fan” of traffic circles.

“While I am generally opposed to roundabouts,” she said, “this was the opposite of a fiscally prudent decision, which is why I voted no.”

The latest

According to the project website, the plan includes:

  • 8-foot wide separated sidewalk on the west side;

  • 10-foot multi use path or 8-foot trail on the east side;

  • High intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) crossing at Pinnacle Vista Drive;

  • 150-foot of right of way;

  • Eliminate wet crossings.

“Construction continues for improvements to Scottsdale Road from Jomax Road to Dixileta Drive,” a recent city press release stated.

Scottsdale Road traffic is currently shifted to the two lanes on the east side of Scottsdale Road, one lane in each direction, from Dixileta Drive to Jomax Road.

Dynamite Boulevard is closed on the west side of Scottsdale Road “through late July for crews to install waterline, storm drain and rebuild the west half of the intersection.”

The traffic signal at the Scottsdale/Dynamite intersection was removed and “a temporary traffic signal placed to accommodate upcoming work and also the installation of the new signal at the intersection.”

Crews have started constructing concrete headwalls and box culverts at the Scottsdale/Dynamite, with landscaping work started to install trees in median islands.

The city stresses:

“Although traffic is now on newly paved asphalt, the speed limit remains at 30 mph through the construction zone.”