A new skate park is one step closer to becoming a reality near downtown.
The Arizona Department of Transportation approved a plan to build the park underneath the Cushing Street bridge.
The city of Tucson is now working to raise the money needed to start building.
Two local skaters brought the idea to City Council earlier this year.
Council member Regina Romero says the city is right on board.
"It does take the city of Tucson to take the idea and run with it and I think that's what we're doing," Romero told KGUN9. "The city manager really likes the concept. The department of transportation and most importantly ADOT has signed off on the concept so we're moving ahead. Projects usually take 18-24 months to getting to completion or getting there. It's a long process."
The skate park would be the first under-the-bridge park in the state of Arizona.
The park would be fenced in to keep skaters from running into the street.
It would also be covered by the bridge which would allow skaters to use it year round.
"It's very helpful because nowadays there's not just teenagers or young people doing skating," Romero told KGUN9. "It's a family affair to families and so the extreme weather in the city of Tucson and in Arizona doesn't lend itself sometimes. Sometimes its too hot and the few skate parks that we have are not really useable at that time and it's unfortunate."
Romero's office is working with engineers to come up with a design that would be safe and efficient for that space. They're trying to figure out the funding at this time as well.
Once a concept and funds are in place, the city of Tucson will vote on a final approval.
A link to the potential Cushing Street skate park can be found here.
