RTA’s tax collections fare well during pandemic

The Regional Transportation Authority’s 20-year plan for transportation improvements in the Pima County region relies on a half-cent excise tax for a significant amount of RTA project funding, but in the year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, consumer shopping habits have changed dramatically to help prevent the spread of the virus. Due to the diversity … Read more

We’re always thinking regionally

The 35 named roadway projects in the Regional Transportation Authority plan are located throughout the metro area, but they have a shared characteristic. The projects have regional significance because they provide access to multiple communities in Pima County. RTA improvements help us get to regional destinations with improved safety, reduced congestion and more travel choices. … Read more

What is the RTA and its role in our region?

The Regional Transportation Authority was established in 2004 by the Arizona Legislature as a political subdivision and independent taxing district. As a political subdivision, the RTA is a public body established to develop a regional transportation plan for voter approval. The current multimodal RTA plan was approved by Pima County voters in May 2006 and … Read more

Complexities of transportation funding

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People may often wonder why one transportation project starts just as an adjacent project is completed. One might ask, why were the two projects not completed at the same time? The answer is not as simple as one might expect. In the world of roads, transit, safety, bicycle and pedestrian project improvements, regional transportation funding … Read more

How the RTA began

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The Regional Transportation Authority, established by the state Legislature in 2004, collects taxes from a special taxing district within Pima County to fund the RTA’s 20-year regional transportation plan. Since voter approval of the RTA’s plan and half-cent tax in 2006 to fund the plan, the RTA has used $1.3 billion in RTA tax revenues … Read more