The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board continues to finalize details of a draft regional transportation plan for public review and feedback. The RTA Next plan will bring more roadway improvements, transit enhancements, and other project improvements to the region for another 20 years.
A new plan, if approved by Pima County voters, will ensure seamless delivery of regional transportation improvements to roadway corridors, including multimodal features, bus and shuttle services, and bike and pedestrian facilities. The new plan would be funded by an extension of the current RTA half-cent sales tax, if also approved by Pima County voters at a future election.
The proposed $2.46 billion investment will improve transportation mobility, reliability and safety benefiting the communities of each RTA member jurisdiction.
Projects being considered include:
- Roadway corridor improvements
- Safety improvements
- Bicycle and pedestrian improvements
- Environmental improvements
- Transit improvements
The transportation infrastructure improvements will support new business development and thousands of new jobs over 20 years, including short-term construction jobs and long-term permanent jobs.
Once the board approves a draft plan, the RTA will conduct regionwide outreach to seek public review and feedback. Following a period of gathering input, the board will decide on updates to a draft and later determine whether to submit a plan for a public vote.
In 2006, voters approved the existing 20-year RTA plan and half-cent sales tax, which generates more than $110 million a year, representing nearly two-thirds of the region’s annual transportation funding. Comparatively, federal and state sources provide $51 million annually to fund regional transportation needs. The RTA plan and tax end on June 30, 2026, unless both a new plan and tax extension are voter-approved.
The board will continue discussions about RTA Next plan development at its Sept. 26 meeting. Details, including a meeting agenda, will be posted here prior to the meeting.