TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With spring temperatures rising, road crews have resumed street resurfacing in the Rincon Heights neighborhood as part of the city’s voter-approved Proposition 411 initiative.
The $2.5 million project, delayed by cold weather last fall, is now back on track.
Crews are applying a Type 3 micro surface over an asphalt rubber chip seal laid earlier.
“What they’re doing right now is they’re placing a Type 3 micro surface over the top of an asphalt rubber chip seal they laid earlier,” said Jim DeGrood, deputy director of the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility.
Approved by voters in May 2022, Proposition 411 extended a half-cent sales tax for 10 years, generating an estimated $740 million.
Of that, 80% is earmarked for improving neighborhood streets, while 20% funds safety enhancements like sidewalks and bike lanes.
DeGrood noted that the Rincon Heights project is part of a broader effort to improve every neighborhood street in the city.
“Since [Prop. 411] passed, we’ve been working to develop a program that basically improves every neighborhood street within the city,” he said in an earlier interview.
Residents have already noticed improvements.
“The roads were like so bad in this neighborhood,” said Julia Glennon, who works out at the University of Arizona campus recreation center. “I didn’t realize they were planning on repaving, but I was excited… ya, they look a lot better now.”
Glennon hopes her own neighborhood, Arroyo Chico, will see similar upgrades soon.
“I’m not someone that likes to bike on really busy roads,” she said. “I would always take kind of the side streets, and those are the ones that I feel like they tend to not repave.”
According to DeGrood, about 15.6% of the city’s streets have been improved so far, with more neighborhoods set to benefit in the coming years.
Other neighborhoods currently undergoing Prop. 411-funded street projects include Palo Verde Park, Catalina Heights, and the Dietz neighborhood.
Residents can track progress and future projects on the City of Tucson’s website.
As the city continues its efforts to improve road conditions, residents like Glennon are optimistic.
“It’s definitely making some congestion in the neighborhood,” she said, “but it’s worth it for smoother roads.”
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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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