Ruthrauff Road is an important corridor that provides north-central Tucson access to and from Interstate 10. The Ruthrauff Road/I-10 Interchange Improvement Project is part of the Regional Transportation Authority’s 20-year plan. The new overpass is already starting to take shape as crews work on the west side of the structure. You can almost visualize trains traveling under the road, instead of across it, just like they do at the newest traffic interchange at Ina Road and I-10.
The project started earlier this year. When it is completed, traffic on Ruthrauff Road will pass over the railroad and I-10, eliminating the at-grade railroad crossing and backups caused by passing trains.
The overpass will have two lanes in each direction. Frontage roads and ramps will be reconstructed to meet the new profiles on I-10 and Ruthrauff Road.
The interchange reconstruction is part of a series of projects to increase capacity on I-10 between Ruthrauff and Ina roads.
Here’s a fun fact about how Ruthrauff Road got its name. Ruthrauff came from the name of a man, John Mosheim “Mos” Ruthrauff. who paved the first street in Tucson. He became the chief engineer for the City of Tucson just three years after he graduated from the University of Arizona. He held the job from 1912-1917. After that, he served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War I.
The story doesn’t end there. The name Ruthrauff intrigued the interchange project design team to take further action. When the team learned how the road was named, the idea of depicting Mos Ruthrauff, a city map and mountains on a wall seemed like good way to pay tribute to a man who played a key role in the city’s transportation history. The wall design is also a show of appreciation for engineers and people who work on road projects across the region.