The east side of Tucson currently is seeing heavy construction activity from voter-approved Regional Transportation Authority projects. The RTA’s 20-year plan is in its 12th year and will continue to be funded by the RTA’s half-cent excise tax through June 2026. Recently, the RTA formed a new 35-member citizens committee to launch the development of an RTA continuation plan for eventual voter approval. A new plan would assume an extension of the half-cent excise tax, which also would require voter consideration.
The following RTA construction projects, which are managed by the City of Tucson, will provide added relief for roadway capacity, and many of the projects are delivering new roadways, plus elements of safety and better accessibility through drainage improvements, added bike lanes and sidewalks. For more information about the RTA and RTA projects, visit www.RTAmobility.com
Houghton Road bridge: This project is part of the Houghton Road improvement corridor from Tanque Verde to Interstate 10. The new twin-bridge project over the Union Pacific railroad is expected to be completed toward the end of 2018. The project includes bike lanes and sidewalks and art features incorporated into the bridge.
Houghton Road, bridge to I-10: This project is also part of the improvement corridor and will widen the section to six lanes from the bridge to connect with the future interchange project that the Arizona Department of Transportation is expected to begin at I-10 and Houghton in 2020. Project improvements include new bike lanes and sidewalks.
Broadway East, Camino Seco to Houghton Road: This project is in full swing to widen a two-mile section to a four-lane divided roadway, and the work is expected to continue through early 2020. This project was moved up several years by the Regional Transportation Authority to address deteriorating road conditions.
Added features will include a curbed, landscaped median and a shoulder curb, street lighting, improved culverts at the Hidden Hills and Estes washes, bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and public art. The project design is expected to increase access, traffic capacity and safety for all users of this stretch of Broadway Boulevard.
Valencia Road, Wilmot Road to Kolb Road: Construction activity, which started in July, is moving at a fast pace to complete this project in 12 months. The intersection project at Valencia and Kolb is designed to increase capacity both through additional travel lanes and by using a parkway at-grade intersection. This intersection will separate the heavy left-turn movements from the primary intersection, including a new bypass ramp between Kolb and Valencia, south of the intersection, as well as a new northeast ramp from Valencia to northbound Kolb. Traffic volumes at this intersection have been growing, and with the large tracts of developable land in the area, future traffic volumes will be accommodated with this project. The new improvements are expected to significantly reduce wait time at the intersection, especially for left turns. The project widening of Valencia to six lanes will extend one mile east and west of Kolb Road and half a mile south and one quarter mile north of Kolb Road. Other features include bike lanes, sidewalks, drainage structures, lighting, traffic signals and landscaping. During construction, one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction, and access to all properties and businesses will remain open.
AMORE
The AMORE pilot program, currently in operation in the Rita Ranch area, is funded by a Federal Transit Administration grant that is managed by the Regional Transportation Authority. This pilot program is focused on providing transit-hailing services to help address the first- and last-mile gaps that people have in accessing public transit. The RTA, which is working to improve regional mobility, is partnering with technology service provider Metropia to use its transportation predictive analysis app to identify and schedule the best daily commuter routes. RubyRide, another program partner, is providing the transit-hailing service. The FTA developed the mobility-on-demand initiative to improve personalized mobility by integrating automation, real-time data and multimodal options. More than 300 people have used the service to date and AMORE is expected to announce a new app in a few weeks as the pilot program moves into full launch stage. For more information, visit www.amoretucson.com.
The Regional Transportation Authority
The Regional Transportation Authority is a special taxing district with a mission to deliver transportation projects that improve our region’s mobility, safety and environment. District voters approved the 20-year RTA plan in 2006. To date, the RTA’s transportation project investments of over $1 billion, generated by the RTA’s half-cent excise tax, are working to support the region’s economic vitality and improve your quality of life.
This project update information was provided by the Regional Transportation Authority.
