New bike path coming to Tucson soon

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cory Foster has been riding bikes for more than 20 years. A few times a month he will cycle downtown.

“Tucson has a lot to offer no matter what kind of riding you’re into,” Foster said.

He’s the store manager of Oro Valley Bicycle on Sunrise and Swan in the Foothills. He has seen how other bike paths throughout Tucson like the Loop have brought in snowbirds and people across the world.

“Many of them have cited the Loop as the primary reason for them visiting Tucson,” he said.

He’s looking forward to a new bike path that Mayor Regina Romero and the city council approved on Tuesday. The 9th Avenue Castro Bicycle Boulevard Project would start near 9th and Fifth and cut through Pima Community College’s Downtown campus all the way to Fort Lowell and Balboa.

Foster said the new path is going to expand cyclist’s access to downtown.

“It’s got a lot to offer for the nightlife, and making it easier to get around on bicycles safely is always a good thing,” Foster said.

The agreement between the City and Pima Community College for the new bike path means they are each going to put money towards the part of the path they own. The city says they and PCC already have money to complete the design and construction for each of their portions.

If PCC wants to make any changes to the route within their campus their agreement with the City of Tucson says the City of Tucson has to approve those changes. The agreement also says construction has to be done by June 30 of next year.

Foster feels like the new bike path is going to benefit bicyclist’s safety.

“It’s always good to have another option to kind of get out of the way of traffic and get around town,” he said.