Many years in the making, the downtown bypass from Broadway to Sixth Street has opened.
Maclovio Barraza Parkway, part of the larger Downtown Links project, opened to vehicular traffic for the first time Feb. 17. Prior to the first cars traversing the new roadway and bridge, the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) held a ribbon cutting to commemorate the years of planning and construction of the Regional Transportation Authority plan project.
“For the RTA, it has been totally worth it,” Pima Association of Governments Director of Transportation Services Rick Ellis said during his comments at the opening event. He acknowledged the many years of planning and public involvement that went into the project.
The new corridor will provide a continuous route for traffic on State Route 210 between
Broadway and the Interstate 10 Frontage Road. Downtown Links is a roadway element project in the 2006 voter-approve RTA plan.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Councilwoman Lane Santa Cruz, and DTM Director Sam Credio also spoke at the opening celebration.
- Project elements on the final roadway include:
- A new four-lane road linking Broadway and Sixth Street
- A new bridge, including a multi-use pedestrian bridge
- Extensive drainage improvements
Remaining work on the project includes the completion of a Sixth Street underpass beneath the railroad west of Stone Avenue. Previous improvements to St. Mary’s Road west of the railroad tracks to Interstate 10 were completed in 2014.
Follow the project here www.downtownlinks.info.