Tucson residents mark your calendars for a significant stride in local infrastructure, as Mayor Regina Romero, alongside the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Ward 6 Council Office, and the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM), have announced a groundbreaking event to kick off the long-anticipated Grant Road improvement project; the event will take place on Tuesday, April 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at 4240 E Grant Road. Set to transform a busy stretch from Alvernon Way to Swan Road, the project promises to streamline traffic and enhance safety, with construction earmarked for an early May commencement, according to the City of Tucson.
Mayor Romero, RTA/PAG Transportation Services Director Rick Ellis, and DTM Director Samuel Credio are lined up to energize the crowd with speeches, and the ceremony won't be just another humdrum affair—attendees can anticipate a celebratory atmosphere complete with food and refreshments sourced from neighborhood vendors. As reported by the City of Tucson's announcement, the plans for the upgraded roadway include a total of six travel lanes, landscaping that will add aesthetic charm and function, as well as considerations for non-vehicular commuters with buffered bike lanes and improved sidewalks, not to mention the incorporation of modern transit stop amenities, innovative indirect left turns and enhanced intersection safety at key junctures like Alvernon Way and Grant Road, as per the City of Tucson.
Infrastructure enhancement of this magnitude doesn't come without significant investment—the RTA, self-governed and operating within Pima County's remit, has funnelled over $1.4 billion into projects designed to improve the community's mobility, security, economic health, and overall life quality. The optimistically anticipated completion date for this segment of the Grant Road overhaul is by the end of 2026, a timeline set in motion by the RTA's ongoing commitment to its 20-year regional transportation game plan, which itself was given the green light by voters back in May 2006 when they approved both the plan and the tax mechanism that funds it, this Grant Road Phase 3&4 Improvement Project is an integral piece of that strategy.
