TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Construction on one of Tucson’s busiest north-south corridors could begin in mid-2028 as the city advances plans for a sweeping overhaul of First Avenue between River Road and Grant Road.
The City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility is continuing public outreach on the First Avenue Improvement Project, a roughly $133 million effort aimed at improving safety, mobility and aging infrastructure along the corridor.
“We’re hoping to wrap up design at the end of 2027 and then construction would start mid-2028 for phase 1 of the project,” said Dustin Ahlrich, project manager with the Department of Transportation and Mobility.
The project, funded through the Regional Transportation Authority’s voter-approved RTA Next transportation plan, would reconstruct the corridor while adding features intended to better accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists. Voters approved extending the RTA earlier this year, authorizing a 20-year, $2.67 billion regional transportation program that includes major road improvements throughout the Tucson area.
Among the proposed improvements are raised medians, upgraded lighting, new pedestrian crossings and continuous sidewalks.
“There’s gonna be medians added along a lot of the corridor to enhance safety,” Ahlrich said. “Lighting will be added. Additional HAWK crossings will be added at important points.”
Plans also call for upgraded bus infrastructure, improved bicycle facilities, pavement reconstruction, drainage improvements, adaptive traffic signals and replacement of the aging Rillito River bridge. The project website identifies safety as the corridor’s highest priority following extensive community input and recommends improvements designed to reduce conflicts between vehicles and vulnerable road users while maintaining traffic flow.
“The total amount that we’ve allotted for this project is 133 million dollars,” Ahlrich said.
City officials say the investment reflects longstanding concerns about the corridor.
“This corridor is a big concern for the city,” Ahlrich said. “And we want to make sure that safety is being improved for pedestrians as well as for vehicles.”
The Department of Transportation and Mobility is accepting public feedback through an online open house until Sept. 5. Residents can review proposed designs, learn more about the project and submit comments that will help shape the final plans before construction begins. Project information and the online comment portal are available on the city's First Avenue Improvement Project website.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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