TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson’s growing network of bike boulevards could soon see two major additions, aimed at making cycling safer and more accessible across the city.
On Saturday, representatives from the Department of Transportation and Mobility met with neighbors at Harriet Johnson Park to gather feedback on the proposed routes. The new corridors would add about 11 miles of bike-friendly paths, linking existing boulevards into a more cohesive system.
“They are low stress bike facilities that we are planning on constructing that will extend a total of about 11 miles through the city that will connect to a bunch of other bike boulevards,” said Ryan Fagan, a project manager with the department.
The proposed routes include an east-west stretch through midtown and a north-south alignment along Sahuara Road on Tucson’s east side. Both corridors are designed to run along quieter neighborhood streets, giving cyclists an alternative to navigating major roadways.
“Part of the planning for the bicycle boulevard network involved identifying these neighborhood street routes that you can kind of link together across major streets,” Fagan said.
The city launched its first bike boulevards more than a decade ago, and the network now covers dozens of miles across Tucson. Planners say the additions could help connect neighborhoods and encourage more residents to choose cycling for short commutes or recreation.
“It’s really for everybody, to provide an alternative to riding bikes on major streets, which a lot of people aren’t comfortable with,” Fagan said.
While the routes are still in the planning stage, city officials emphasized that community feedback will play a critical role in final designs. The department is hosting “public design pop-ups” like the one at Harriet Johnson Park to hear directly from residents about local traffic conditions and safety concerns.
“If someone says, ‘hey, there’s a lot of speeding going on in this area, we could use some more traffic calming’—anything that sort of helps us with the details of the project,” Fagan said.
Officials expect planning to continue into next year, with construction timelines dependent on funding and public input.
More information about the bicycle boulevard system, including the proposed Sahuara and Copper Flower routes, is available on the city’s 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.
