Tucson Met Two Major Milestones This Week

Broadway Widening Update

The city of Tucson released updated design plans for the Broadway widening project between Euclid and Country Club this week.

Plans have not significantly changed from the previous version to this most recent update, called the “60 percent design,” said the Department of Transportation’s Shellie Ginn.

“We’re still looking at the same number of takes, which is 27,” she said.

A “take” refers to a building that will be demolished as a result of the widening.

“I think there’s always a portion of our community who’s interested in not having any buildings demolished,” she said. “We have worked really hard to try to minimize that number from the original eight lanes reducing it down to six lanes.”

But, she said, it would be impossible to widen the roadway without demolitions.

The latest design plan has more detail about where sidewalks will be placed and construction easements will go, and the next two versions will provide more detail.

Ginn said the design should be finalized by the end of 2017. Work to move electricity and phone lines will happen next year, and construction is expected to begin in 2019.

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Tucson’s Greyhound Bus terminal has a permanent home for the first time since 2002.

A Tuesday ribbon-cutting ceremony opened the new location at the southeast corner of Broadway Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District owns the site, and is leasing it to Greyhound.

The chair of the Rio Nuevo board thinks Greyhound’s new building is in a prime location, given the development that is happening around it.

“This is kind of Grand Central for us, no pun intended, in terms of the Sunshine Mile going east, downtown going west. All of this is Rio Nuevo geography, and we’re pleased to be involved,” said Fletcher McCusker.

Two major road projects are slated for the area in the future: a widening of Broadway between Euclid and Country Club Road and the Downtown Links project, which will connect Barraza-Aviation Parkway and Interstate 10 at 6th Street.

Rio Nuevo and Greyhound examined 12 sites around Tucson, and this was the company’s first choice, according to company regional manager Ed Van Heel.

Greyhound had been housed in a temporary space near Congress Street and I-10 and prior to that the terminal was at Congress and Broadway for more than three decades. The former Greyhound stop is now the site of student housing.

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