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Why is the new piece of Houghton higher than the old piece?

You'll see the difference if you drive near Rita Ranch
Houghton Rd.
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TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — Viewer Mike B messaged me a question today about why some stretches of the newly constructed southbound lanes of Houghton between Mary Ann Cleveland Way and Valencia are at a higher elevation than the old northbound side, which is going to be demolished and renovated over the next few months.

After checking with the design team for this roadway, the answer has to do with engineering the new section to withstand not only a 100-year flood, which is the standard when building a new road, but also to channel any monsoon storm water under certain sections that will be equipped to handle the drainage of the water.

The new northbound side, when completed in the next few months, will mirror the newly built southbound section to make sure that all the runoff is channelized to run underneath both sides of the new road. This should prevent any future flooding that travelers near Rita Ranch have sometimes experienced.

My email address is allen.kath@kgun9.com for your questions. Or feel free to call 520-290-7731.

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