TUCSON, AZ — For the last several years construction projects have taken place across Tucson streets. One of the main reasons for so much construction is funding.
Public information officer with the Tucson Department of Transportation, Mike Graham, says the proposition 409 program, which provided funding over the last five years, allowed them to revamp roads and infrastructure.
"Over the five year program that we just finished, we re-paved about 130 lane miles of arterial streets and about 290 lane miles of local areas, local streets."
One of the big construction projects completed last year include Grant Rd. The project revamped the Grant and Stone intersection with indirect left turns, increasing traffic flow and shortening the distance for pedestrians to cross.
"We have a lot of water harvesting on that project, landscape median islands, a couple indirect left turns that improve safety for the traveling public."
Graham also says the future looks bright for Tucson roads.
"We're going to be very busy out here in Tucson. Next month, February 11 we start the proposition 101 projects, our better streets program again that was a half cent sales tax that was approved by voters in the city of Tucson. We'll kick that off by starting with Starr Pass re-pavement programs, reconstruction, as well as doing La Cholla, we've got some improvements on Speedway out by Greasewood and Congress just west of downtown."
Other projects that began in 2018 and will end in 2019 include work on Valencia and Kolb, widening Houghton near I-10 to six lanes while finishing it's bridges with underground drainage, and the Broadway widening project.
