Pima County voters approved RTA Next, the 20-year, $2.67 billion regional transportation plan.
Both Proposition 418, a vote on the transportation plan itself, and Proposition 419, which asks voters to pay for the plan through a 20-year, half-cent sales tax, won by large margins in Tuesday night's election results.
Here are four things to know after the approval:
- The sales tax rates across jurisdictions in Pima County will remain what they are. This is because the half-cent sales tax from the original RTA plan approved by voters in 2006, which is expiring this summer, will be extended by 20 years following the passage of Prop. 419. For example, in Tucson, the sales tax rate will remain at 8.7%.
- If projections hold over the next 20 years, about $1.42 billion in road projects will be heading to streets across the Pima County region. Additionally, $178 million over 20 years will go towards “arterial rehabilitation” for major roads in poor condition, mostly in Tucson, and about $254.6 million will go towards safety and Americans with Disabilities Act projects over the next two decades.
- The seven unfinished projects from the original RTA plan will be top priority for completion in the RTA Next plan. Those are: Silverbell Road, from Camino del Cerro to Ina Road; First Avenue, from Orange Grove Road to Ina Road; First Avenue, from Grant Road to River Road; 22nd Street, from Interstate 10 to Kino Parkway; Houghton Road, from Broadway to Tanque Verde Road; Tangerine Road, from Marana Tech Park Drive to Dove Mountain Boulevard; and the final phase of the Grant Road widening project, from Fremont Avenue to Sparkman Boulevard.
- Tucson’s transit system, and the region’s transit system as a whole, are not in the immediate danger local officials warned would happen if voters rejected RTA Next. Transit systems across the region through Sun Tran are largely funded through RTA dollars, so the planned $726 million for regional transit operations over the 20-year life of RTA Next will give a big boost.
