Community safety · October 2026

95th Avenue Entrance: Ongoing Efforts to Protect Property and Improve Traffic Safety

Understanding the challenge

The 95th Avenue entrance to Western Enclave presents an unusual and serious traffic safety challenge, shaped by the roadway's configuration and its proximity to a major entertainment district.

North of Camelback Road, 95th Avenue carries traffic through nearby commercial and entertainment areas. South of Camelback, however, the roadway transitions into a residential neighborhood before terminating at Western Enclave's gated entrance.

For drivers unfamiliar with the area, that transition may not be immediately apparent. Those approaching at excessive speeds or while impaired may fail to recognize that the roadway ends at a residential community.

The consequences have extended well beyond damage to the entrance gate. A residence sits directly in the path of vehicles that fail to stop, with an area of community green space immediately beside it. The placement of the roadway, residential lots, and green space reflects the subdivision's original development layout, established before the homeowner-controlled Association assumed responsibility for its common areas.

Over the years, vehicles have repeatedly struck and damaged the Association's gates. In November 2025 and April 2026, vehicles crashed into the same home on two separate occasions, causing substantial property damage and raising serious concerns for the family living there.

The incidents attracted local media attention, including coverage by Arizona's Family (azFamily), which documented the homeowners' experiences and the continuing safety concerns surrounding the entrance.

While those collisions brought greater public attention to the situation, the Board's efforts to address the entrance had begun well before either incident. The following history traces those efforts and the engineering work now guiding the Association toward a longer-term solution.

From repeated repairs to a broader safety project

In December 2024, after earlier gates had been repeatedly struck and replaced, the Board approved a heavy-duty rolling gate intended to better withstand vehicle impacts.

The gate was installed in February 2025, but just two months later, another vehicle drove through it, causing extensive damage.

The incident reinforced the need to look beyond the durability of the gate itself.

By August 2025, the Board had begun requesting traffic-calming measures from the City of Phoenix, including speed cushions along 95th Avenue through the City's resident petition process. The following October, the Board began obtaining bids to repair or replace the damaged gate.

In November 2025, a vehicle crashed into the residence directly beyond the entrance. According to subsequent azFamily reporting, the vehicle was estimated to have been traveling approximately 60 mph.

Within days, the Board purchased and installed two 10-foot concrete Jersey barriers in front of the home as an interim protective measure.

A new sliding gate was installed in February 2026. In April, with repairs from the November collision still underway, a vehicle crashed into the same residence a second time, carrying the new gate with it.

The following day, the Board convened an emergency meeting and voted to hire a traffic engineer to evaluate the entrance and identify longer-term solutions. Three days later, Y2K Engineering met with the Board to begin an independent traffic engineering study.

The Board also installed a third concrete barrier near the home's driveway to provide additional protection.

The entrance gate has remained out of service since the April collision while the Association pursues a permanent solution.

That same month, the Board formally escalated its traffic safety concerns to the Phoenix City Council and Mayor, continuing its efforts to secure municipal involvement.

These actions expanded the work already underway, bringing professional engineering evaluation into an effort that had previously included stronger gate infrastructure, temporary protective barriers, and requests for traffic calming along the approaching roadway.

Working with the City of Phoenix

One of the challenges in addressing the entrance is the division of responsibility between the City of Phoenix and the Association.

The City maintains the public portion of 95th Avenue, while the entrance gate and Sells Drive fall under the Association's private jurisdiction. This distinction determines where each party has authority to make improvements and why coordination is necessary to address the entrance as a whole.

As documented in azFamily's April 2026 reporting, the City's Traffic Services team had previously recommended improved lighting near the gate, more visible signage, and pursuing speed cushions through the City's resident petition process.

The Board continued working with the City as the independent engineering study progressed.

In August 2026, the City reviewed proposed concepts for 95th Avenue but declined those requiring new infrastructure within the public right‑of‑way, citing a lack of funding and programs to install and maintain the improvements.

The City did support additional "Not a Through Street" signage at the Camelback Road intersection, subject to agreement from the City of Glendale.

That same month, the City approved the installation of two speed cushions along 95th Avenue, completing the petition process the Board had initiated in 2025.

The approval marked progress in the Association's efforts to address vehicle speeds before drivers reach the entrance. Separately, the engineering study provided a path for evaluating physical changes to the entrance itself.

Because the roadway and entrance fall under different jurisdictions, the Board's approach has involved pursuing improvements through the City while advancing measures within the Association's own authority.

Engineering a long-term solution

In May 2026, Y2K Engineering delivered its initial short-term recommendations to the Board. The firm's final report, completed in October, recommends a more substantial redesign of the entrance.

The proposed improvements include constructing a raised median and rebuilding the southern end of 95th Avenue on the Association's side of the gate, subject to City of Phoenix approval, so that the roadway curves west around it.

This configuration is intended to redirect approaching vehicles away from the residence directly beyond the entrance.

Rather than relying primarily on a gate to absorb the impact of an approaching vehicle, the recommendation focuses on changing the physical path vehicles follow as they reach the community.

Why preserve the entrance?

Permanently closing the 95th Avenue entrance or replacing the gate with a wall has also been considered. However, neither approach would eliminate the underlying roadway hazard. Vehicles could continue striking whatever structure occupies the end of the roadway, potentially resulting in recurring damage and repair costs.

Closure would also eliminate Western Enclave's only northern access point.

That entrance serves an important function, particularly during major events at State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena, when surrounding roads can become heavily congested. It also provides residents with convenient access to nearby shopping and services, including the Walmart plaza.

Eliminating that access would create an additional inconvenience for residents without necessarily resolving the danger posed by vehicles approaching the end of 95th Avenue.

The Board is therefore pursuing an engineered solution that preserves this important access point while seeking to redirect approaching vehicles away from the residence.

Moving from recommendations to construction

The proposed entrance redesign represents a significant departure from the repeated gate repairs and replacements of previous years.

The engineering study provides a recommended configuration, but that concept must now be developed into detailed technical plans before construction can proceed.

Those plans will establish the specifications needed to determine the project's scope, solicit construction bids, and evaluate the costs of implementation.

A replacement entrance gate will be incorporated into the overall project. Its final specifications, including whether a crash-rated design is appropriate, will be determined during the planning process.

The proposed work is intended to address the underlying entrance configuration while complementing the traffic-calming measures pursued with the City of Phoenix.

Where the project stands today

As of October 2026, the Board has initiated outreach to engineering firms to develop technical design plans for the recommended entrance reconfiguration.

Once those plans are completed, the Association intends to solicit bids from general contractors to perform the construction.

The project remains in development, and a construction schedule has not yet been established. The final scope and cost will become clearer as the engineering plans are completed and contractor proposals are received.

In the meantime, the concrete barriers remain an interim safeguard for the residence that has been struck twice. The continuing impact on the family living there remains an important consideration as the Association works toward a lasting solution.

The Board recognizes the disruption caused by the prolonged loss of the entrance gate and the community's interest in seeing it restored.

The next phase will focus on translating the completed traffic engineering study into a construction-ready project, with the objective of restoring the entrance in a configuration that provides greater protection for the affected property and improves traffic safety for the broader community.

The Board will continue publishing updates as engineering, contractor selection, and construction progress.

Residents interested in participating in the ongoing work may attend a Gates Committee meeting. Meeting information is available on the Association's Committees page.

Arizona's Family (azFamily) · April 7, 2026

Media inquiries: United Community Management