The City of Flagstaff received a $19 million grant from the federal Department of Transportation on Jan. 10 to support safety and multimodal improvements on stretches of Butler Avenue and Fourth Street.
Those improvements will include off-street bike and pedestrian pathways, ADA-compliant sidewalks, mid-block pedestrian crossings with warning lights, upgraded bus stops, roadway widening, increased stormwater drainage, a raised median and two roundabouts.
The project areas are along Butler Avenue between I-40 and Sinagua Heights Drive, and along Fourth Street between Sparrow Avenue and Crest Stone.聽
In a press release, Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett said, 鈥淭hese improvements will provide new bike lanes and safety improvements around this heavily used corridor, ensure that Mountain Line transit has access to new areas that were previously inaccessible, and will allow for the construction of drainage improvements to mitigate flooding on these roads during monsoon events.鈥�
The grant is part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. Flagstaff鈥檚 project was one of 109 across the country to receive funding through the RAISE program in the first round of 2025 awards.
Updates to these areas of Butler and Fourth were targeted in the city鈥檚 5-Year Capital Improvement Program beginning in 2022, and the city originally applied for a RAISE grant in 2023. Though not selected in that round of grant applications, the project scored high enough to be allowed to reapply the next year.
According to city engineer Paul Mood, design work for the project is approximately 30% complete. Along with regional transportation planning body MetroPlan, engineering and architectural firm Burgess & Niple assisted in the initial work to prepare the grant application. The design and planning process -- including environmental and cultural clearances -- will resume now that funding is secure, and it is expected to take approximately one year.
Construction is estimated to begin in June 2026 and last approximately 18 months. Some road closures and detours will be required during construction, with more details to be announced once the city selects a project contractor.