On Monday, October 3, 2011, crews will begin construction of a box
culvert along 7th Street, between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue. Crews will
be working from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To accommodate businesses in the
area, additional work hours may include nights and weekends. During
this phase of construction, 7th Street, between 6th Avenue and 5th
Street, will be closed to vehicular traffic. Intersections will remain
open. Business and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.
The 8th Street Drainage improvements are a portion of the Downtown
Links project, and will provide a new roadway drainage system and major
reconstruction of the Tucson Arroyo. Construction of the 8th Street
Drainage project was awarded to Borderland Construction Company.
The construction cost of the 8th Street Drainage Improvement project is
$7.4 million and is scheduled for completion in 6 months. The
improvements are being funded with the voter-approved Regional
Transportation Authority (RTA).
As part of this construction, 6th Avenue will be re-striped for two-way
travel between 6th Street and 7th Street. This traffic-pattern change
will provide better access to area businesses during construction. A
detailed map is available at www.downtownlinks.info. The public will be
notified before re-striping work begins.
When complete, Downtown Links will offer a 30 mph, four-lane road north
of the Union Pacific railroad tracks that will connect Barraza-Aviation
Parkway to Interstate 10. It will provide alternate access to and
around Downtown by foot, bike, vehicle and public transit and offer new
and safer underpasses, railroad crossings and sidewalks.
The voter-approved, $2.1 billion RTA plan will be implemented through
2016. Details about the full plan are available at www.RTAmobility.com.
The RTA has a nine-member board with representatives from local, state
and tribal governments. While funded through the RTA, the above project
will be managed by TDOT.
The Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) keeps Tucson moving
smoothly and safely. The Department’s nearly 250 employees oversee the
maintenance and reconstruction of nearly 1,900 miles of streets and are
responsible for hundreds of drainage structures, public art pieces,
street lights and signs, and traffic signals in Tucson. TDOT also
operates the City’s transit services, Sun Tran and Sun Van.
