The Regional Transportation Authority celebrated its 10-year anniversary Friday, and government officials from Tucson, Pima County and Oro Valley were among the guests.
As Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild put it: βItβs important for the region as whole to have a government that delivers projects on time.β
Well, sort of on time.
The 10-year anniversary was coupled with a ribbon-cutting to honor the completion of the Magee Road widening and improvement project. That project came in about year behind schedule.
Maybe thatβs why RTA folks decided to start the anniversary party early, as it was actually in May 2006 when voters approved the RTA plan.
As a refresher, voters back then approved a half-cent regional sales tax to fund a 20-year, $2 billion transportation improvement plan. As we approach the halfway point, about 700 RTA projects have been completed with nearly $750 million being spent.
The delays on Magee notwithstanding, the RTA has delivered.
βItβs about creating a comprehensive, unified vision,β Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath said.
As Hiremath also noted, a quality transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic success of the region.
But if you want quality, you have to pay for it.
Which makes it interesting to see the Pima Association of Governments and the RTA already working on the planβs redux.
A draft of the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan, much of which would likely be incorporated into RTA 2.0, includes billions of dollars in projects, the most interesting element being a $3 billion pavement-preservation element.
While local governments have always borrowed money or tapped new revenue sources to fund large new construction projects like bridges and new roads, itβs rare that they would create a new tax specifically to pay for ongoing maintenance.
The city recently did so with $100 million in road-recovery bonds. But outside of that, this appears to be a new phenomenon, one in which local governments have accepted that state funding alone for transportation just doesnβt pay the bills anymore.
We could detail how the state has changed Highway User Revenue Fund distribution formulas, refuses to increase the gas tax or how Maricopa County has traditionally received an outsized share of transportation dollars, but itβs all been done before.
The fact is, state funding has been almost the only source of cash for local departments of transportation for decades. Thatβs starting to change as regional needs clearly have outpaced available funding from the state.
And itβs not just the case for quirky, liberal Pima County and Tucson.
City of Phoenix voters in August approved a massive, $31.5 billion, multiyear transportation plan with a sales tax to fund additional light rail routes, expanded bus service, transit infrastructure improvements and road repairs.
Any RTA renewal vote is likely years off, but itβs encouraging to see regional leaders making long-term plans that address one of the most critical needs.
βItβs not too soon to go ahead and do the work to think about 2026,β Roths-child said.
Now if they could just find a way to build that crosstown freeway.
Down the road
The Tucson Department of Transportation plans an open house Monday, Oct. 26, to accept public input for proposed improvements to Church Avenue.
The open house will be held in the basement of the Main Library Downtown, 101 N. Stone Ave., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The project was proposed to improve safety on Church Avenue between St. Maryβs Road and Cushing Street.
Possible improvements already discussed include two-way center turn lanes, additional parking and enhanced pedestrian crossings.
Contact Ann Chanecka with the city of Tucson at ann.chanecka@tucsonaz.gov for more information.
Monday, Oct. 19, through Tuesday, Oct. 20, between 7 a.m and 5 p.m., the Pima County Department of Transportation plans bridge-sealing work to prepare for the upcoming reconstruction of the Elephant Head Road Bridge, south of Tucson near Amado.
The work will close one travel lane on the bridge.
