Curious about what Regional Transportation Authority projects are in the construction pipeline? To bring you up to speed, here’s a quick rundown of where projects in the voter-approved 2006 RTA plan stand.
“We’ve had a busy summer and have seen lots of progress on our projects as we anticipate a new round of projects getting ready to launch,” said Pima Association of Governments Director of Transportation Services Rick Ellis.
Grant Road Phases 3 and 4
Construction on this section of Grant Road, from Palo Verde Boulevard to Venice Place, started in the spring, and activities are fully underway.
The section of roadway is another piece of the overall Grant Road improvement project, which extends from Oracle Road east to Swan Road. The City of Tucson is the lead agency for the project with a significant portion of the funding coming from the RTA’s voter-approved half-cent sales tax.
The completed project will include six travel lanes, landscaped medians, buffered bike lanes, sidewalks, transit stop upgrades and drainage improvements throughout the entire length. A key feature of the improvement project includes the addition of indirect left turns at the intersection of Alvernon Way and Grant Road.
The indirect left turns will be used for traffic turning left from Grant onto Alvernon. This type of configuration has been used on the previously constructed segments along the corridor, as well as other busy intersections throughout the region to keep traffic flowing safely through busy intersections.
The project is expected to run through 2026.
Sunset Road, Silverbell to I-10
This multi-agency project involves the Arizona Department of Transportation, Pima County, City of Tucson, and the RTA. When completed, the roadway will seamlessly link Sunset Road from Silverbell Road across Interstate 10 to River Road. The project includes bridges over the Union Pacific Railroad and the Rillito River.
The project is designed as four lanes with a median, bike lanes, sidewalks and a multi-use path.
This project is being constructed concurrently with ADOT’s I-10 improvements between Orange Grove and Sunset Road. ADOT recently published a podcast episode updating the improvement projects between Ina and Ruthrauff roads. Construction is expected to run through 2025.
https://www.pima.gov/925/Sunset-Road-Interstate-10-to-River-Road
Downtown Links/I-10 to Broadway Boulevard
When this ongoing final phase is completed, Downtown Links will form a 1.3-mile long, multimodal corridor connecting Maclovio Barraza-Aviation Parkway to Interstate 10. The completed four-lane roadway will have bike lanes, sidewalks and a separate multiuse path.
Improvements include construction of a new Sixth Street alignment, railroad underpass and a deck plaza at Ninth Street. Major drainage improvements that the Pima County Regional Flood Control District completed provide protection from a 100-year floodplain for a large portion of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. This project will eliminate one of the most hazardous railroad crossings in the state and end long train-related delays on St. Mary’s Road.
Construction for the final phase began in the summer of 2020 and is anticipated to be complete in 2025. Drainage improvements and reconstruction of St. Mary’s Road, from I-10 to Church Avenue, occurred in earlier phases of the project.
Tangerine Road, I-10 interchange to La Cañada Drive
This section adds to the already completed eastern portion of the large project. Construction activities are underway for the westernmost two-mile section of Tangerine Road which will reconstruct the existing road to a four-lane desert parkway with paved shoulders, a curbed median, and a 12-foot-wide multi-use-path along the north side of the roadway.
Improved drainage infrastructure will include channels and culverts. A signalized intersection at Adonis Road will have improved access to accommodate future development. A frontage road along the south side of Tangerine Road will provide access to Marana Tech Center’s current and future businesses.
https://www.tangerineroad.info/index.php
Bike Boulevards and Multi-use Pathways
The RTA plan also funds improved mobility for pedestrians and cyclists. RTA funds have helped deliver nearly 400 miles of new bike lanes. Through the addition of new bike lanes and multi-use paths, the RTA has assisted member jurisdictions with delivering their mobility solutions.
The City of Tucson’s Bicycle Boulevard program, a network of residential streets designed to prioritize bicycling and enhance conditions for walking, is an example where RTA funds have been used.
“The bike boulevard plan is an incredibly brilliant complement to the transportation network that helps make sure everything works together as a good system,” Ellis said. “These provide a secondary route system for cyclists who don’t want to ride on the major roadways.”
Bicycle Boulevards require a road to be given a special designation and include additional signage, striping, speed tables, and traffic calming features. Cars are still permitted on Bicycle Boulevards.
Upcoming Bicycle Boulevard projects that received RTA funding assistance include:
Ninth Street: Treat Avenue to Fourth Avenue
This section will run along Ninth and Eighth streets from Fourth Avenue to Treat Street. Treat Avenue also will be part of the Bicycle Boulevard network that when complete will stretch from Barraza-Aviation Parkway north to the Rillito River.
Fifth Street: Euclid Road to Main Avenue
This bike boulevard runs along Fifth Street from Seventh Avenue into the University of Arizona.
Ninth Avenue: St. Mary’s Road to Fort Lowell Road
This project will provide a north/south corridor that winds through downtown and University of Arizona area neighborhoods. Running between the busy corridors of Oracle Road and Stone Avenue, it will provide a safe alternative for cyclists and pedestrians.
Upcoming RTA corridor projects
Valencia Road: Kolb Road to Houghton Road
Planning for this section of the larger Valencia Road project is completed, and construction is scheduled to start in fall 2024. Upon completion, the project will include a six-lane parkway with bike lanes, sidewalks and drainage for all-weather access. Upgrades to traffic signals and intersections at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road also will be included in the 3.7-mile roadway corridor.
https://dtmprojects.tucsonaz.gov/pages/valencia-road-kolb-to-houghton
22nd Street, I-10 to Tucson Boulevard/Maclovio Barraza-Aviation Parkway
This project, phase 2 of a larger improvement, will add lane capacity to the 22nd bridge over Barraza-Aviation Parkway and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks between Tucson Boulevard and Kino Parkway.
The new bridge will have an increased weight capacity, which currently is limited to 15 tons requiring heavy trucks and buses to use alternate routes. Additional travel lanes will be added, thus bringing the total to three lanes in each direction to match the existing roadway section at either end of the project limits. Bike lanes also will be included in the current design, with connections to the Aviation Pathway, which runs along the north side of Maclovio Barraza-Aviation Parkway.
“This project is probably one of the biggest and most complicated this region has ever had,” Ellis said, noting the unique challenge of dismantling and rebuilding the bridge over active rail lines and a state highway, as well as helping residents, businesses and the traveling public navigate the planned complete closure of the bridge and parts of 22nd Street for approximately three years.
https://dtmprojects.tucsonaz.gov/pages/22nd-street-bridge
Silverbell Road, Ina Road to Grant Road
The section stretching from El Camino del Cerro to Goret Road is currently in final design, clearance and funding activities in preparation for future construction. Improvements include widening Silverbell to a curbed, four-lane divided desert parkway with pedestrian facilities, bike lanes, lighting, drainage improvements, new native landscaping, and public art.