Data show thousands of animals using RTA wildlife crossings
This year, cameras on the State Route 77 wildlife crossings north of Tucson have observed two milestones for the first time in the five-year duration of the overpass and underpass structures: a white-tailed deer crossing the overpass in January and a first crossing of either structure by a mountain lion … Read more »
Complex Ruthrauff/I-10 project is complete
The Arizona Department of Transportation has completed the reconstruction of the Ruthrauff Road and El Camino del Cerro intersection with Interstate 10, including widening of interstate lanes and adding a new railroad underpass to separate vehicles and trains. “All the ramps are open, all the traffic control is gone,” said … Read more »
Behind the scenes: how RTA helps businesses during projects
Road construction invariably disrupts traffic, but with its built-in, complimentary MainStreet Business Assistance Program, the Regional Transportation Authority aims to reduce the impact on regional businesses, large and small, before and during construction of transportation improvement projects from the RTA’s 20-year regional transportation plan. MainStreet serves and consults the businesses … Read more »
Utility relocation underway on East Grant Road
Moving utilities is an important part of all roadway corridor projects in the voter-approved Regional Transportation Plan. When a road is widened, access to electrical boxes that control traffic signals, manhole locations for sewer and water lines, plus underground gas lines and overhead power and telecommunications lines all must be … Read more »
Bike and pedestrian count happening now – you can help
The Regional Transportation Authority’s 20-year plan includes infrastructure improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians, and right now you can contribute to future planning efforts for those modes. The Pima Association of Governments, which manages the RTA, is conducting its annual regional bicycle and pedestrian count to gather data on how those … Read more »
Broadway widening project update – October 2021
The road construction on East Broadway Boulevard between Euclid Avenue and Country Club Road will improve functionality and contribute to revitalizing the gateway between downtown and the historic Sunshine Mile with more multimodal amenities, better drainage and increased safety. The roadway project was one of 35 regional corridor projects included … Read more »
News Release: Fitch upgrades RTA bond ratings
Fitch Ratings, a U.S. credit rating agency, announced on Sept. 30 that it has upgraded the Regional Transportation Authority’s outstanding excise tax revenue bonds of $128.8 million to AA+ from AA, and the rating outlook is stable. The RTA, which is the fiscal manager of a 20-year regional transportation plan … Read more »
RTA sees ‘unprecedented’ tax collections during pandemic year
The Regional Transportation Authority’s 20-year transportation plan is partially funded by a transaction privilege tax, or sales tax, so when the pandemic hit and businesses shuttered, low revenue was almost a given. That is, until businesses started to reopen and tax collections began to climb in surprising ways. “We had … Read more »
RTA status report – September 2021
RTA Project Status – Through July 31 Projects in design 57 Under construction/implementation 50 Total number completed 899 RTA Financial Status – Through July 31 Funds expended to date $1.4B The current RTA status report shows 899 projects have been completed. Of those, 17 major roadway corridor construction projects have … Read more »
RTA funding: a primer
The primary funding source for Regional Transportation Authority plan projects is from the RTA’s voter-approved half-cent (excise) sales tax. The RTA tax is levied on taxable goods and services throughout Pima County to pay for the projects in the 20-year regional transportation plan. Both the plan and tax were approved … Read more »