Roadway corridors are a key component of the 2006 voter-approved Regional Transportation Authority plan. The plan has 35 corridor projects across the region designed to improve connectivity and multimodal transportation options for network users.
One of these roadway improvements is the Kolb Road/Sabino Canyon Road connection, which was completed in early 2017 and created an entirely new corridor from Sabino Canyon Road to Kolb Road.
“When you can create a more direct connection, it provides users more connectivity and more access,” said Rick Ellis, Pima Association of Governments (PAG) Director of Transportation Services.
Connectivity is clearly what this stretch of Sabino Canyon provides, having become a popular alternative for motorists, with an average daily traffic count of more than 13,000.
By creating that direct link for northbound and southbound travel and eliminating the need to divert around the Udall Park area, it has in turn alleviated some of the traffic pressure in other areas.
The intersection of Kolb/Grant roads and Tanque Verde Road, where many drivers previously rerouted through, has seen large decreases in turning volumes.
PAG traffic count data from 2016, the year before the new corridor opened, shows right turns from northbound Kolb Road onto eastbound Tanque Verde went from a peak time daily average of 1,319 vehicles to 319 vehicles in 2023.
Left turn volumes from westbound Tanque Verde onto southbound Kolb Road during the same timeframes similarly declined, shrinking from nearly 1,500 to 376.
Ellis said a project such as the Kolb/Sabino Canyon connection provides better distribution of traffic on the transportation network.
“You now have more alternatives and more options for localized trips,” he said.
The City of Tucson was the lead agency on the Sabino/Kolb Road project, which included a new four-lane roadway with bike lanes and sidewalks. The project also provides access to Pima County’s Chuck Huckelberry Loop system of bicycle and pedestrian pathways.
Other improvements included new signals at both the Sabino Canyon Road intersections with Kolb Road and Crestline Drive, sound walls adjacent to the neighborhood to the west, bridges across a retired city landfill and the Pantano Wash, drainage improvements, landscaping and public art. The project features LED street lighting for driver safety and neighborhood security.
The Sun Tran bus system also serves the area, with the Route 9 bus running along the Sabino Canyon corridor between Tanque Verde and Kolb Roads. Sun Tran Routes 5, 8, and 37 also serve the Udall Park stop on Sabino Canyon Road.