The City of Tucson is widening a two-mile stretch of East Broadway Boulevard as part of the Regional Transportation Authority plan approved by Pima County voters in 2006. It will improve safety, reduce congestion, and improve the overall mobility, especially with the addition of key amenities such as a five-foot-wide bike lane and a two-foot-wide buffer between bikes and vehicles, plus new storm drainage capacity for residents in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Kyle DeWitte, the project manager at the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility, provided the following project update.
Project start:
January 2020
What’s been done so far:
The overall project has been divided into segments to allow multiple activities to be performed simultaneously. Major accomplishments include the installation of the large underground storm drain system throughout the whole length, along with the accompanying features to direct water to the new drainage. The roadway work on the west end of the project, from Euclid Avenue to Campbell Avenue, is largely complete, including the sidewalk and initial layer of asphalt.
What’s happening now:
On the western end, crews are installing landscaping and water harvesting features in the medians and/or shoulders of the roadway. They also are completing electrical work in advance of the new traffic signals, as well as the street lighting in that section.
On the eastern end of the project, between Treat Avenue and Country Club Road, traffic has shifted to the new roadway on the north side of the street as crews remove the remaining curbs and asphalt from the old roadway alignment. Other activities include the ongoing installation of storm drain features, relocation of underground water lines, and installation of the roadway curb, gutter and sidewalk. Paving is also occurring along the whole stretch, as areas are graded and made ready for asphalt.
What’s next in the project:
Multiple activities will continue to take place throughout the whole corridor. On the west end, upcoming activities include the installation of new traffic signals and street lighting, along with irrigation and new landscaping.
The underground utility work will continue on the east end, along with the ongoing installation of curbs, gutters, sidewalks and medians.
Once all these items are completed, then final paving, new signs and roadway striping can take place in order to complete the project, and align with the rest of the Broadway corridor. Find more information on the project website.
Estimated completion date:
Spring 2022