Plan calls for fixing Tucson's "worst" neighborhood roads first

Voters approved Proposition 411 last May, extending a half-cent sales tax for 10 years to fund road improvements across neighborhood streets in Tucson.

The city began collecting sales tax revenue in July of 2022 and has amassed about $39 million, according to the Transportation Department. These funds will go towards an initial list of priority streets, approved last month by the Independent Oversight and Accountability Commission.

The first year of projects includes roads that were given an evaluation grade of 20% or lower, based on a 0-100% scale. The roads were selected based on a “worst first” approach, said Dale Calvert, who chairs the commission.

Projects are slated to start as soon as this summer. However, official construction dates for each road project have yet to be determined.

Going forward, the commission will discuss a body of standards to approve the projects while taking equity into account.

“There are at least two functions to equity … Are people in all parts of the city getting their reasonable share of the funds? And are those funds being applied in the most equitable way to maintain the streets in great shape as (much as) possible?” Calvert said.

The goal is to maintain roadways that are not yet failing, but could use some extra maintenance.

“It’s addressing the pavements that we are driving on primarily and replacing that asphalt surface or upgrading it in some fashion,” said James DeGrood, the Proposition 411 team lead. “It depends on the nature of the distress on the pavement … We are going to be looking at each of the neighborhoods individually and trying to come up with the most cost-effective approach.”

The city expects to collect about $740 million over the next 10 years to go toward street improvement projects. The funding will go toward improving neighborhood streets and safety conditions, with funding being split between the two components 80% and 20%, respectively.

Two groups are charged with overseeing Proposition 411 projects: the Independent Oversight and Accountability Commission, which approves pavement projects, and the Complete Streets Coordinating Council, which oversees safety projects like bike networks, traffic signals and accessibility.

Safety upgrades

Safe Streets, the second component of Proposition 411, will be further split into four different categories: pedestrian accessibility, bikeway improvements, general safety improvements and traffic signal upgrades, said Patrick Hartley, the Complete Streets Program Coordinator.

The 17-member Complete Streets Coordinating Council looked at past data from Move Tucson, the city’s master plan for transportation, to determine areas in the most need of safety improvements.

Hartley said the council looked at corridor improvement opportunities while “emphasizing the importance of where we know those safety improvements are needed, as well as looking at the areas in the community that have been historically under-invested in.”

The Complete Streets team is working on design plans for the identified projects approved to begin this calendar year. Hartley explained that while citizens can expect some work to start this year, a bulk of the big projects will not begin until next calendar year.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of work in the coming years to make sure that our roadways are more comfortable, safe and accessible for all users…We’d like to thank the voters of Tucson for approving this measure, and we’re looking forward to getting the work started,” Hartley said.

Tucson citizens can send their roadway concerns to tdotconcerns@tucsonaz.gov. While this line of communication is primarily used for urgent issues like pothole fillings or obscured signs, the transportation department will be keeping a close eye on reports that express the need for further roadway improvements.

The city projects it will collect $740 million over the next 10 years to go toward street improvement projects. The funding will go toward improving neighborhood streets and safety conditions, with funding being split between the two components 80% and 20%, respectively.