Green Valley residents Larry Klose and his wife frequently make their way northeast to Rita Ranch, where their daughter and son-in-law are raising their two grandsons. But with the daughter working full time and the son-in-law recently deployed to Afghanistan, those trips are set to get much more frequent.
As it stands, the two normally take South Houghton Road north from West Sahuarita Road, a route Klose is less than fond of.
“If you’ve ever driven on Houghton in the morning, in particular, or in the evening, it’s very, very crowded,” he said, adding that when trips coincide with the final bell at either of the high schools along the way, it’s even worse.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, June 10, however, the Kloses now have a new option: continuous blacktop on Wilmot Road, all the way from Sahuarita to Interstate 10. Most of the stretch, which crosses unincorporated Pima County and into the city of Tucson, was until recently unpaved.
Prior to its opening, getting north to Tucson meant long jogs to the east or west for residents near the Wilmot-Sahuarita intersection, which government officials have identified as a “future growth area.”
Last year, nearby resident Mark Metcalf recounted a desperate drive to the airport that eventually took him and his family at break-neck speeds over the potholes, arroyos, uneven surfaces and other hazards on the 7.1 miles of previously unpaved Wilmot in a race against the clock. With the opening of the made-over road, he told the Road Runner the news was welcome.
“That’s great, that’s gonna take so much pressure off of Houghton Road and the Nogales Highway,” Metcalf said.
The 2016 engineer’s estimate for the RTA-funded project came in at $6.5 million, and the Hunter Contracting Co. beat out six competitors with a $5 million bid. The most recent contract amendment, which includes three streetlights at the Sahuarita-Wilmot junction at a cost of nearly $70,000, brought the contract total to $5.4 million, still well under estimates.
The speed limit on the two-lane roadway is 40 mph from Sahuarita two miles north to Andrada Road, and 50 mph from there to the state prison.
Priscilla Cornelio, the county transportation director, said that in addition to better Tucson access for residents in the area, the road will also play home to an experiment. Mixed in with the road material on the southern two miles is a new product called ACE Fiber, which is designed to prolong road life and cut down on maintenance costs. It’s the first use in the area, according to Cornelio, and if it proves itself over coming years, it might find its way into other area roads, she said.
Though the official opening occurred Saturday evening, Cornelio said that some residents were so “eager for this to open, that they were driving around the construction signs.”
DOWN THE ROAD
Starting Monday morning, June 12, the Pima County Department of Transportation will carry out shoulder work on East River Road from North Pontatoc to Swan roads. Shifts will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday. Lane restrictions and reduced speeds will be in place during work periods, and flaggers will be on site.
Also starting Monday, county contractor Granite Construction will mill and pave West Ironwood Hill Drive between North Shannon Road and Camino De Oeste. The work is expected to last through Friday, June 23, with shifts lasting from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be no work over the weekend, and lane and speed reductions will be in place. Sheriff’s deputies, flaggers and a pilot car will be on site to assist drivers.
