TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County is re-shaping South Houghton Road to better handle the flow of cars and monsoon floodwater.
The $30 million project began in 2020 and covers Houghton Road, running from I-10 south past the Pima County Fairgrounds to Pantano High School.
The two-lane road will become a four lane, divided road. The area is one the faster-growing parts of the Tucson area.
Crews are also adding several drainage structures to carry monsoon storm run-off under the road.
“So the big difference is gonna be onto the roadway itself,” said Michelle Montagnino, Construction Monitoring Division Manager for Pima County. “I mean, you’re gonna be able to pass through without having the debris and the wash, washouts onto the road itself.”
Pima County is also taking a different approach to this project.
“Different from our normal design build where you have a year or two of design ahead of a couple years or a year or two of construction.”
Montagnino says this time, design and construction are happening at the same time, shortening the total timeline to roughly two years instead of three or four.
The goal is for work to be done by the end of December.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
