The start of the University of Arizona school year always comes with dramatic upticks in traffic on Speedway.
However, the start of school today will coincide with lane closures at the Speedway-Stone Avenue intersection, likely spelling delays during peak traffic hours.
βRather than avoiding the area, plan accordingly on travel time,β Tucson Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Graham told the Star on Friday.
Graham also pointed out that the projectβs contractor, KE&G, has been working around the clock for the past couple weeks, which has cut roughly a week off the project and minimized the overlap of the fall semester and road paving.
On Monday, Speedway will be reduced to one lane in both directions, and North Stone Avenue will be closed in both directions between Helen and First streets. Work should be completed by 5 p.m. That means afternoon commutes should return to normal levels of fall semester-induced congestion.
The work is part of the larger $2.5-million, RTA-funded funded improvement of Stone between Drachman and First streets.
