BNSF Begins Work On $3.2B Project, Despite Lacking Final Approval
BNSF Railway has started site work on land earmarked for a $3.2B project in Wittmann, a rural unincorporated community in the Northwest Valley of the Phoenix metro area.
BNSF began work even as it awaits local approval of the revised development plan for a logistics park and intermodal facility, the Phoenix Business Journal reported.
The corporate-funded project is being constructed on a 4,200-acre site, with grading work reportedly beginning on 350 acres at the southwest corner of the parcel.
BNSF, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., also boasts an intermodal facility in Glendale that is almost at capacity.
In November 2025, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors rejected BNSF’s fourth request for a continuance on a measure to change a land use designation for a roughly 800-acre portion of the acreage, north of U.S. 60 between 211th and 235th avenues, from single-family to mixed-use development.
The railway company has been ordered to revise its plan to better fit Maricopa County’s vision for the area. BNSF is now reportedly working to finalize a traffic study and proposed commitments to fund infrastructure improvements.
In February, the company bought additional land from Wittmann residents near the site, acquiring more than 55 acres across 14 transactions totaling just over $9M.
Lena Kent, director of public affairs for BNSF, had told the PBJ that this part of the project will improve the company’s ability to “move essential freight for residents and businesses across Arizona” and grow the state’s economy.
The Wittmann project was first announced in June 2024, and opposition to it has grown steadily over the past year, with residents and commuters concerned about factors such as traffic, noise pollution and other negative impacts on the rural area.
The project has also faced backlash from officials with the city of Surprise, which borders the site. Last October, the Surprise City Council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution opposing the project, stating the site would have “substantial unmitigated risk” and overwhelm the city's infrastructure and public safety services.
However, many chambers of commerce from across the state of Arizona support the development.
Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Danny Seiden wrote a column for the PBJ in July 2025 arguing that the facility would “connect the region to the global marketplace and strengthen the supply chain, while maximizing use of rail, the most environmentally efficient way to move goods.”
BNSF has also stated the development would create thousands of jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
BNSF runs one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, with 32,500 miles across the western two-thirds of the United States, according to the company’s website.
