Construction is scheduled to begin in September on a major widening of Cotton Lane in south Goodyear, a project that will rebuild the roadway between Estrella Parkway and the Cotton Lane Bridge at the Gila River and expand it from two lanes to four.
The City of Goodyear says the project will add one new lane in each direction, producing two northbound and two southbound lanes separated by a wide median. The median is being designed with enough space to accommodate additional lanes in the future if traffic demand warrants another expansion.
The work comes as the Estrella area continues to add homes, retail and other development south of Interstate 10. Cotton Lane is one of the key north-south routes connecting those neighborhoods with the rest of Goodyear and the regional freeway network.
What drivers should expect
Goodyear’s current project information says construction is scheduled to start in September 2026. The city previously approved the construction contract, and Rummel Construction was selected as the contractor.
Estrella’s July project update, citing the city’s plans, says the anticipated sequence is to build the new northbound lanes on the east side of the existing road first. That would allow traffic to continue using the current two-lane roadway during the opening phase of construction.
After the new lanes are finished, traffic is expected to shift onto the new pavement while crews rehabilitate the existing roadway on the west side. When both phases are complete, Cotton Lane would carry two lanes in each direction.
Final traffic-control details may change as work progresses, so drivers using the corridor should watch for city notices as crews mobilize.
A larger transportation buildout around Estrella
The Cotton Lane project is part of a broader transportation buildout in southwest Goodyear. The Arizona Department of Transportation is separately constructing a roughly four-mile extension of Loop 303 from Van Buren Street south to Maricopa County 85. That $613 million freeway project began in June and is expected to take about four years.
ADOT’s project will create three general-purpose lanes in each direction between Van Buren Street and Lower Buckeye Road and two lanes in each direction between Lower Buckeye Road and MC 85. It also includes new or completed interchanges at Van Buren Street, Yuma Road, Lower Buckeye Road and Elwood Street.
Together, the two projects will significantly change how traffic moves through the Cotton Lane corridor over the next several years. The city’s widening project is focused farther south near Estrella, while ADOT’s Loop 303 work is converting much of the Cotton Lane corridor north of MC 85 into freeway infrastructure.
When the Cotton Lane project should finish
The Cotton Lane widening is currently slated for completion in August 2027, according to the Estrella project update. The project is listed by Goodyear as Project No. 42046, Cotton Lane Widening.
Residents can follow construction updates through the City of Goodyear’s project pages. ADOT maintains a separate page for the Loop 303 southward extension.
Sources: City of Goodyear: Cotton Lane Roadway Improvement Project; Estrella: Cotton Lane Improvements Project Update; Arizona Department of Transportation: Loop 303 southward expansion.
