Visitors to the Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden may have a few detours to make with road construction on Galvin Parkway expected to last through September.
The city of Phoenix is building a roundabout intersection near the Garden.
A city of Phoenix worker from the street transportation department told us her notes show that Galvin Parkway -- a scenic, twisting roadway running north-south through Papago Park -- should have at least one lane open in both directions through the construction period, which started last week.
But representatives of the zoo and Garden tell us that's not really the case. Obstructions made it impossible to take the road all the way from McDowell Road to Van Buren Street, or vice-versa, they say. You can't take Galvin Parkway south to the zoo from McDowell, and you can't take it north to the Botanical Garden from Van Buren.
Both attractions have information on their Web sites to help guide visitors in. Click here for the zoo's latest road advice and here for the Garden's. Rene Immel of the Botanical Garden says she recommends people check the site before getting behind the wheel to avoid a hassle. The construction is sure to impact visitors, though both the zoo and Garden see much smaller crowds during the blazing summer months.
"We're hoping it gets done before our first big events and school starts," she says.
That doesn't seem likely, though: Phoenix transportation workers plan on being out there until as late as October 1.
