Houghton Road project update – January 2022

The Houghton Road improvement project from East Mary Ann Cleveland Way to East Valencia Road is nearly complete, with just a couple more months of work to be done.

When it reopens fully to all modes of transportation, it will feature new public art, better drainage, six travel lanes and a new multi-use pathway.

City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility Project Managers Michael Marietti, Sherry Martin and Austin Wesnitzer provided the following project update.

Project/phase start:

September 2020

As this project nears completion, what will the contractor be working on?

The contractor will be concentrating on all the finishing touches, which include pavement striping and the features that enhance the roadway in other ways. Those include slope grading and landscaping with irrigation and drainage at key water gathering sites.

They also will install two new Rita Road monument signs, new concrete sidewalks, road signage and lighting.

Were there any unexpected challenges during construction?

Yes, the utilities on this project were somewhat unique. All projects face utility relocation in the early stages to ensure the utilities are placed appropriately for construction and for the new roadway alignment. In this project, contractors encountered a number of different underground and overhead utilities located at or near the Rita Road and Houghton Road intersection, plus difficulties involved with water main piping and valve replacements. It also took time to relocate the utilities because Houghton is such a busy corridor.

When construction is complete, what new features can drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and transit users expect?

On the roadway: smooth pavement, wider travel lanes, clearly marked lane lines, dedicated left turn lanes, new stormwater cross-drainage improvements, new bus pullouts, bike lanes on each side of Houghton, improved pedestrian crossing capabilities.

Adjacent to the travel lanes: new water harvesting features, a new 12-foot-wide asphalt multi-use path along the east side of Houghton which connects to the new pedestrian crossing improvements at Mary Ann Cleveland Way, a new six-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along the west side of Houghton, public art and landscaping.

Overhead: new lighting, new traffic signals at Rita Road, and traffic signal improvements at the Valencia intersection and the Mary Ann Cleveland Way intersection.

Visit the project website for more information.

Estimated completion date:

March 2022