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Pima County Aims for Valencia Road Expansion West of I-19 by End of 2025
Major corridor work in unincorporated Pima County will be limited in the upcoming year, primarily due to a lack of bond funding and significant support from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA).
With constrained financial resources, the Pima County Transportation Department has shifted focus from large-scale projects to residential street maintenance. According to Kathryn Skinner, director of the department, the program now centers on smaller projects backed largely by federal funding. “Our program used to involve several major corridors, like La Cañada, where we’d rebuild two miles of roadway and widen it,” Skinner noted, highlighting the program’s significant shift.
The most considerable planned endeavor is the extension of Sunset Road from Interstate 10 to River Road. This project, financed through a combination of county impact fees, RTA contributions, and federal support, is being managed by the Arizona Department of Transportation in conjunction with the widening of Interstate 10. It is slated for completion by the end of 2025.
Another notable undertaking is the 1.3-mile widening of Valencia Road between Mission Road and Camino de la Tierra, currently in the design phase. This project, which has received a $20 million federal RAISE grant, will also use impact fees. The county anticipates bringing a contractor on board in the spring, with construction expected to begin by late 2025 or early 2026.
Valencia Road serves as the southernmost major east-west corridor for the metro area but narrows to two lanes in each direction west of Interstate 19, identified as a critical congestion point by Skinner. “That corridor needs some capacity,” she remarked, noting that it generates numerous complaints related to heavy traffic.
Next year’s initiatives will rely predominantly on federal grants, with some focused on safety improvements. One such project includes the installation of a HAWK pedestrian light on Palo Verde Road south of Ajo Way. The county has successfully procured various federal grants for several projects, including a new bridge on Silverbell Road over Blanco Wash in Avra Valley, which is expected to be completed by early 2025. This follows the closure of the old bridge due to significant disrepair. Additional bridge projects, such as a rebuild in Ajo and the widening of two bridges in Madera Canyon, are also underway.
The county continues its repair and repaving efforts on unincorporated streets under the 10-year PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go) program, now in its sixth year. This initiative has successfully repaved 382 miles of arterial and collector streets, alongside over 500 miles of residential roads, with $24 million allocated to the program for the current fiscal year. Projections indicate that funding will increase to $26.5 million next year, enabling the county to redirect one-third of these funds toward preservation efforts, as maintaining existing roads is more cost-effective than rebuilding neglected ones.
The PAYGO program’s funding derives from state road dollars and the county general fund, leading to about 70 percent of the county’s roads being classified as at least “good” condition according to their metrics.
