The intersection of Invergordon Road and Mockingbird Lane is fully closed until Monday, November 23, and no traffic can pass through it while Achen-Gardner Construction installs storm drainage for the Town of Paradise Valley. About $13.7 million of the roughly $17.5 million contract pays for drainage. The medians, chicanes and new paving that drivers will notice next year make up the smaller share.
Where the Contract Money Goes
Council approved the construction contract for the Mockingbird Lane Improvement Project on March 26, 2026. The project covers about a mile of Mockingbird from 56th Street east to Invergordon, plus Invergordon itself. The executed amendment sets the guaranteed maximum price at $17,523,846.14. The Town's February 26, 2026 project update, which used a slightly lower final figure of $17,490,768, broke that pricing out like this:
| Line item, Feb. 26, 2026 Town update | Amount |
|---|---|
| Drainage | $13,747,976 |
| Roadway | $3,742,792 |
| Contractor pricing, total | $17,490,768 |
| Paid by the Town | $9,566,780 |
| Paid by the Flood Control District | $7,923,988 |
| Combined CIP budget | $19 million |
The two dollar amounts differ by $33,078.14, and the executed amendment is the contract figure. Either way, drainage makes up close to 80 percent of the contractor pricing. The Flood Control District's share helps explain how the project is funded. The Town is not paying for the whole thing.
The contract describes the purpose plainly. Today, stormwater sheet-flows across the surface of Mockingbird. The project replaces that with underground collection and sends the water into Indian Bend Wash. To do that, the scope includes storm drains along Mockingbird, a new 12-by-3-foot box culvert under Invergordon between Mockingbird and the wash, City of Phoenix waterline relocations, and replacement sidewalk and curb on Invergordon.
That explains why the intersection has to close completely. The new pipe runs south under Invergordon toward the wash, so the crossing at Mockingbird is where the drain lines meet.
The Closure Sits Inside a Longer Sequence
The November closure is the most disruptive restriction in this corridor so far, and it isn't the first. According to the Town's project site at pvroadproject.com:
- Since July 20, 2026: Invergordon has been southbound-only between Horseshoe Road and Mockingbird Lane, and that restriction is set to last through the end of November.
- October 5 to October 19: Invergordon traffic between Mockingbird and Horseshoe was put on a posted detour.
- October 26 to November 23: The Invergordon and Mockingbird intersection is fully closed, with detour signs posted.
The intersection closure sits within a four-phase plan. Phase 1, utility relocations, ran spring through summer 2026. Phase 2, drainage and underground infrastructure, is scheduled for late 2026. Phase 3, roadway construction and paving, runs from late 2026 into early 2027. Phase 4, final work and closeout, is set for early 2027. The Town notes that weather or unforeseen conditions can move any of those dates. The project site also tells residents in the corridor to expect scheduled water service interruptions, with notice given in advance.
Questions go to the project hotline at (480) 903-4838 or [email protected].
What Gets Built on Top
Once the drains are in, Phase 3 rebuilds the surface. Mockingbird between 56th Street and Invergordon is an east-west collector. Today it is striped as two lanes, with a bike lane on each side, a sidewalk on the north side and a posted limit of 35 miles per hour, according to a staff report cited by the Fountain Hills Times.
The rebuilt street keeps two lanes and the bike lanes. The traffic calming came out of a choice Council made on May 23, 2024. The alternatives it considered were chicanes, medians and a mill-and-overlay repaving, and it chose a hybrid of medians and chicanes. The contract adds trees, shrubs, irrigation and hardscape. The Town says these are meant to give the corridor a more finished look and match other roads in the area.
Two design details came from public input. The 60 percent plans dropped a proposed south-side sidewalk after resident comments. By the May 8, 2025 Council update, the 90 percent plans had no changes from the approved roadway, median and chicane concept, and the 100 percent plans were submitted in June 2025.
Lane width is still disputed. Writing in the Paradise Valley Independent, Councilmember Anna Thomasson said nearly all travel lanes will be 11 feet wide, with a short stretch at 10 feet next to a bike lane, and that the design is meant to slow traffic. A resident campaign site, Fix Mockingbird, says the lanes will be 9.5 feet. The Town has not announced any change to the 35-mph posted limit.
How the Price Reached Its Final Figure
The cost history explains why the March vote was contested. When the Paradise Valley Independent reported on Council's November 14, 2024 vote, the project was described as costing more than $12.3 million. At that meeting, Council unanimously hired Achen-Gardner as construction manager at risk under a pre-construction agreement capped at $258,896. After that, the estimates went up at each design stage:
- 60 percent design: $12.308 million
- 90 percent design, January 2025: $14.1 million
- 100 percent design: $14.778 million
- Draft contractor price, October 2025: $20,432,835
- Final contractor price, January 2026: $17,490,768
Between the October 2025 draft and the January 2026 final, the contractor's price dropped by nearly $3 million. Even so, the final price came in well above every engineer's estimate. The project first entered the Town's capital improvement program in 2018, so it took eight years to get from that listing to a signed construction price.
On March 26, 2026, Council approved the construction amendment and related services 5–2, with Councilmembers Andeen-Keller and Pace voting no. The Fountain Hills Times described the meeting as contentious at times, with residents speaking against the project after an opposition flyer circulated in the area. Thomasson later wrote that residents had received two mailings criticizing her vote.
The Rest of November Around the Closure
Other work and events add to the detour in the coming weeks.
Around Mummy Mountain. M.R. Tanner Construction is repaving for the Town in Maintenance District 6, south of Mockingbird and west of 68th Street. Paving closures there can last several hours, and the Town has posted signs warning cyclists that milled road surfaces are uneven and not suitable for bicycles. The Town posts current phasing on its Pavement Management Program page.
Sunday, November 8. The Life Time Phoenix 10K and Half Marathon uses one side of three roads. Southbound 24th Street is closed from Camelback Road to Lincoln Drive from 5:30 a.m. to noon. Westbound Lincoln is closed from 24th Street to Tatum Boulevard from 5:30 to 11 a.m. Southbound Tatum is closed from Lincoln to Caida Del Sol Drive from 5:30 to 10 a.m. According to the race's community page, police will meter traffic onto Lincoln and Tatum near the northwest corner of that intersection, and the 51 and Camelback Road stay open.
Saturday, November 14. The Town's Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show returns for its 21st year at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive. Viewing is free from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m., and the $50 registration fees for pre-1986 cars, trucks and motorcycles go to the Military Assistance Mission and Sentinels of Freedom.
After November 23, if the schedule holds, the intersection reopens. Paving and the new medians follow in the next phase, and closeout is planned for early 2027.
If you own a home along Mockingbird or Invergordon, the finished street will set what buyers see first when they arrive. That includes the new medians, the landscaping and the way the driveway meets the curb. Luxe Client Group follows projects like this one closely so we can tell owners when the corridor's changes should factor into their plans. If you'd like that conversation, Request Your Confidential Consultation.
