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Tucson Freeways

Started by andy3175, May 10, 2015, 11:54:29 PM

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707

I wonder if they twinned it originally planning on making I-10 or if it was just planned as a temporary measure the whole time?

VS988



DJStephens

Then, as now, it passes through ranch land.   The preexisting Route 80 already had a four lane section (old Marsh Station Road exit 289).  So they apparently just double barrelled the pre-existing two lane, and tied into the four lane section. 

707

#77
Quote from: DJStephens on September 21, 2018, 03:45:09 PM
Then, as now, it passes through ranch land.   The preexisting Route 80 already had a four lane section (old Marsh Station Road exit 289).  So they apparently just double barrelled the pre-existing two lane, and tied into the four lane section.
So Marsh Station Road was once four lane? Or are you referring to the section south of it that became I-10? Also my question was more along the lines of wondering if Benson Highway between Park and Valencia, which you said was four laned around the time of the Interstate highways being established was ever supposed to be I-10 or was just made to four lanes to tempirarily better handle traffic volumes while I-10 was being built?

By the way, I came across this scanned postcard of the Triple T Truck Stop at the I-10/Craycroft interchange. It was taken in the years before US 80 was removed and shows the only photo I've ever seen of a 1963 spec US 80 reassurance marker. Interesting to see the now long gone I-10/US 80 concurrency.
http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/azroute80pc055.jpg

DJStephens

To clarify, meant that the US 80 Alignment at the Marsh Station road was a short pre-existing four lane section that was incorporated into the I-10 alignment.   It used to dip rather sharply into a creek/wash (Cienega?) going under both the old RR tracks and the old Exit 289 overpass.   This entire section, along with the RR straightening, was upgraded and done by FNF Construction 5 - 8 years ago.   

DJStephens

Believe I-10 was simply placed atop the Benson Highway east of Valencia Road.   So perhaps a good part of it's roadbed was used for either the EB or WB lanes between Valencia and the Sonoita Highway exit.   Some old concrete bridge rails are visible, on 10, on both sides, in the wide median section between Houghton Road and Exit 279 (forgot name of road).  This leads to confusion as to which carriage way was the original two lane highway in that area.   Personally believe it was the WB lanes, in that area, as the EB lanes are straighter.   Between Exits 279 and 281, the original Benson highway is actually to the N, and acts as a two way frontage.   

splashflash

Quote from: 707 on April 13, 2016, 02:50:46 AM

Then lastly, there's the Sonoran Corridor proposal which doesn't seem to go away or get built. Residents in Sahuarita are apparently asking the state to build it across El Toro Road. There's also talk about it being funded by federal dollars.

http://tucson.com/news/business/county-report-sonoran-corridor-would-have-b-impact/article_8e4a9e31-2799-52f6-87bc-f902f9cd4fa8.html

http://www.gvnews.com/news/town-asks-for-el-toro-rd-sahuarita-be-part-of/article_8c430bf0-f5d4-11e5-bea1-af26a76f70bc.html

An open house was recently held discussing three options between I10 and I19, down from ten.  https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2019/3/7/147457-proposed-sonoran-corridor-freeway-down-to-3-alternatives/

DJStephens

#81
   Interesting.  All three proposals have a very defined "L" shape to them.   Wonder why that is, versus a more "straight" shot.   
   Personally, would choose 8A. 

a.  Growth and development will continue to happen, whether one likes it or not. 
b.  Raw land should be cheaper farther out.  Development will come. 
c.  Connecting to I-10 at  Houghton Road should bury, once and for all, any talk or movement
     towards a DDI at that interchange.  There should be high speed directional interchanges at both
     I-10 and I-19.
d.  The facility should have an even numbered 3DI number.  I-219 is the one would choose.   

sparker

Quote from: splashflash on March 14, 2019, 10:58:51 PM
Quote from: 707 on April 13, 2016, 02:50:46 AM

Then lastly, there's the Sonoran Corridor proposal which doesn't seem to go away or get built. Residents in Sahuarita are apparently asking the state to build it across El Toro Road. There's also talk about it being funded by federal dollars.

http://tucson.com/news/business/county-report-sonoran-corridor-would-have-b-impact/article_8e4a9e31-2799-52f6-87bc-f902f9cd4fa8.html

http://www.gvnews.com/news/town-asks-for-el-toro-rd-sahuarita-be-part-of/article_8c430bf0-f5d4-11e5-bea1-af26a76f70bc.html

An open house was recently held discussing three options between I10 and I19, down from ten.  https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2019/3/7/147457-proposed-sonoran-corridor-freeway-down-to-3-alternatives/

Back in 2016 the "Sonoran" corridor between I-10 and I-19 was afforded a place as HPC #83 in the FHWA compendium of such corridors; like all the others, it's eligible for federal funding -- but without any guarantee -- and still subject to the fiscal whims of Congress.  Nevertheless, it does have a level of national attention -- which needs to be followed through at the state and/or local level to actually be developed. 

Henry

Quote from: DJStephens on March 16, 2019, 10:08:18 AM
   Interesting.  All three proposals have a very defined "L" shape to them.   Wonder why that is, versus a more "straight" shot.   
   Personally, would choose 8A. 

a.  Growth and development will continue to happen, whether one likes it or not. 
b.  Raw land should be cheaper farther out.  Development will come. 
c.  Connecting to I-10 at  Houghton Road should bury, once and for all, any talk or movement
     towards a DDI at that interchange.  There should be high speed directional interchanges at both
     I-10 and I-19.
d.  The facility should have an even numbered 3DI number.  I-219 is the one would choose.   
Agreed on all counts, although, given AZ's aversion to 3di's, I would see it as SR 219 or 410.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

Roadwarriors79

Quote from: Henry on March 20, 2019, 09:58:01 AM
Quote from: DJStephens on March 16, 2019, 10:08:18 AM
   Interesting.  All three proposals have a very defined "L" shape to them.   Wonder why that is, versus a more "straight" shot.   
   Personally, would choose 8A. 

a.  Growth and development will continue to happen, whether one likes it or not. 
b.  Raw land should be cheaper farther out.  Development will come. 
c.  Connecting to I-10 at  Houghton Road should bury, once and for all, any talk or movement
     towards a DDI at that interchange.  There should be high speed directional interchanges at both
     I-10 and I-19.
d.  The facility should have an even numbered 3DI number.  I-219 is the one would choose.   
Agreed on all counts, although, given AZ's aversion to 3di's, I would see it as SR 219 or 410.

Pima County had an older map of the proposed Sonoran Corridor labeled as I-510. More recent references to the corridor use SR 410 as the number in planning.

https://webcms.pima.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/File/Government/Newsroom/Work%20Newsroom/1308%20August/130813%20Pima%20County%20supports%20study%20of%20interstate%20highway%20link.pdf

DJStephens

Quote from: splashflash on March 14, 2019, 10:58:51 PM
Quote from: 707 on April 13, 2016, 02:50:46 AM

Then lastly, there's the Sonoran Corridor proposal which doesn't seem to go away or get built. Residents in Sahuarita are apparently asking the state to build it across El Toro Road. There's also talk about it being funded by federal dollars.

http://tucson.com/news/business/county-report-sonoran-corridor-would-have-b-impact/article_8e4a9e31-2799-52f6-87bc-f902f9cd4fa8.html

http://www.gvnews.com/news/town-asks-for-el-toro-rd-sahuarita-be-part-of/article_8c430bf0-f5d4-11e5-bea1-af26a76f70bc.html

An open house was recently held discussing three options between I10 and I19, down from ten.  https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2019/3/7/147457-proposed-sonoran-corridor-freeway-down-to-3-alternatives/

Any links to the other seven?  Why were they dropped from consideration?   

splashflash

Quote from: DJStephens on March 22, 2019, 11:31:38 PM
Quote from: splashflash on March 14, 2019, 10:58:51 PM
Quote from: 707 on April 13, 2016, 02:50:46 AM

Then lastly, there's the Sonoran Corridor proposal which doesn't seem to go away or get built. Residents in Sahuarita are apparently asking the state to build it across El Toro Road. There's also talk about it being funded by federal dollars.

http://tucson.com/news/business/county-report-sonoran-corridor-would-have-b-impact/article_8e4a9e31-2799-52f6-87bc-f902f9cd4fa8.html

http://www.gvnews.com/news/town-asks-for-el-toro-rd-sahuarita-be-part-of/article_8c430bf0-f5d4-11e5-bea1-af26a76f70bc.html

An open house was recently held discussing three options between I10 and I19, down from ten.  https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2019/3/7/147457-proposed-sonoran-corridor-freeway-down-to-3-alternatives/

Any links to the other seven?  Why were they dropped from consideration?

https://www.azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-tier-1-environmental-impact-statement/documents

Check out 3.8.2 of the corridor selection report.

Roadwarriors79

In the Tucson area, the new I-10/Ina Rd interchange is complete. Next up to be redone is the I-10/Ruthrauff Rd interchange, which should begin later this summer or by the fall. I-19 is being widened between Irvington Rd and Ajo Way.

The only other active construction of significance is on surface streets. Just my personal belief, the Valencia Rd and Kolb Rd intersection could have been a nice grade-separated interchange, but that is not the case. When finished, there will be a combination of "Michigan lefts" and at-grade ramps onto the mainline roads.

Kniwt

The Arizona Daily Star reports today that ADOT has plans for a $1.2 billion project to massively widen I-10 (double to triple current capacity) east of the I-19 split and build a freeway connection between I-10 and AZ 210.
https://tucson.com/news/local/road-runner-long-term-billion-project-would-connect-i-/article_95b134b1-1e63-51cd-a800-61841d9a5fa2.html

QuoteThe project would add up to two lanes in each direction from the I-10, I-19 interchange to Alvernon Way and up to four lanes in each direction on I-10 from Alvernon Way to Kolb Road. These improvements include addressing the corridor’s interchanges and bridges.

Alvernon Way would be designated State Route 210, known as Barraza-Aviation Parkway, along with an interchange that provides direct access from Palo Verde Road to Interstate 10 and an alternate route downtown, according to an environmental assessment from the Arizona Department of Transportation.

... Residents could expect the final touches on the project around 20 years from now.

ADOT project page: https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/interstate-10-and-state-route-210-study


Sonic99

If you used to draw freeways on your homework and got reprimanded by your Senior English teacher for doing so, you might be a road geek!

DJStephens

Believe it when it actually seems to be happening.  That corridor (10 east of downtown) is absolutely antiquated.   They have done some bridge deck replacements (Craycroft and Wilmot) but haven't even added bearing seats on the back walls for additional lanes?  What the heck??   

Plutonic Panda

20 years is insane but perhaps they eventually expedite it. 7-12 years would be better to muster and understandable given the amount of projects Arizona needs to tackle. They should have widened this to at least six lanes a few years ago it seems.

DJStephens

Am guessing this corridor in Tucson has been "back burnered" either on purpose or through oversight.   Given the scope and quality of work elsewhere (Phoenix) can't think of any other reason.   Really can not understand why Wilmot and craycroft overpasses did not have widening done during the re decks.
Alvernon Road overpasses were replaced and widened - with a box beam design - guessing a long time ago - to the inside - but inside lanes have not been utilized.     

dfwmapper

ADOT doesn't have much money in the budget for expansion, and traffic volumes east of Kino don't particularly warrant expansion right now (AADT west of Kino is over 100k, but east is under 80k, and 100k is usually the point where going to 6 lanes is needed). Pima County's 1/2 cent tax for transportation is primarily going towards surface street improvements (more lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks), transit, and railroad grade separations, with little if any going towards freeways, other than replacing the interchanges on the west side to eliminate the railroad grade crossings.

Roadwarriors79

Bumping this to mention a couple projects currently going on in Tucson.

I-10/Ruthrauff Rd interchange is being redone. Ruthrauff will go over I-10 and the parallel railroad tracks when this project is finished. Similar to other interchanges (Ina Rd, Prince Rd).

Downtown Links, after many, many, many years of planning and delays, is finally under construction. It will connect I-10/St Mary's Rd with AZ 210 and Broadway. Was once planned to be a freeway, but will be just another surface road skirting the northern part of downtown Tucson.

SM-G975U


Plutonic Panda

Houghton Road/I-10 Interchange Update

Quote
The concrete work on the bridge comes as the Arizona Department of Transportation reaches the halfway point of a $24.4 million project to rebuild the interchange.

While drivers have experienced several temporary ramp and lane shifts during the project, the concrete pour will allow drivers to see the bridge's final driving surface come into view.

This summer, traffic on Houghton Road will move from the existing two-lane bridge to the new six-lane structure. Motorists will cross I-10 in a temporary lane configuration for several months while crews demolish the old bridge and complete building new ramps on the east side of the interchange.

Read more here: https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/crews-pour-concrete-deck-on-houghton-road-i-10-structure/52215

machias

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on May 22, 2021, 08:14:17 PM
Houghton Road/I-10 Interchange Update

Quote
The concrete work on the bridge comes as the Arizona Department of Transportation reaches the halfway point of a $24.4 million project to rebuild the interchange.

While drivers have experienced several temporary ramp and lane shifts during the project, the concrete pour will allow drivers to see the bridge's final driving surface come into view.

This summer, traffic on Houghton Road will move from the existing two-lane bridge to the new six-lane structure. Motorists will cross I-10 in a temporary lane configuration for several months while crews demolish the old bridge and complete building new ramps on the east side of the interchange.

Read more here: https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/crews-pour-concrete-deck-on-houghton-road-i-10-structure/52215

I've been watching this project on and off and it's nice to see it progressing.

As an aside, I see several maps that show Houghton Rd as SR 983, but I've never seen a sign indicating it as this. Is this an "unsigned" official route?

DRMan

Quote from: machias on May 22, 2021, 10:28:52 PM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on May 22, 2021, 08:14:17 PM
Houghton Road/I-10 Interchange Update

Quote
The concrete work on the bridge comes as the Arizona Department of Transportation reaches the halfway point of a $24.4 million project to rebuild the interchange.

While drivers have experienced several temporary ramp and lane shifts during the project, the concrete pour will allow drivers to see the bridge's final driving surface come into view.

This summer, traffic on Houghton Road will move from the existing two-lane bridge to the new six-lane structure. Motorists will cross I-10 in a temporary lane configuration for several months while crews demolish the old bridge and complete building new ramps on the east side of the interchange.

Read more here: https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/crews-pour-concrete-deck-on-houghton-road-i-10-structure/52215

I've been watching this project on and off and it's nice to see it progressing.

As an aside, I see several maps that show Houghton Rd as SR 983, but I've never seen a sign indicating it as this. Is this an "unsigned" official route?
There are a number of roads around Tucson like that, for example Tangerine Rd (SR-989) and Valencia Rd (SR-910). Annoyingly, Apple Maps treats them as if they are actually signed, but there are no signs in the field.

Roadwarriors79

Quote from: DRMan on May 24, 2021, 12:20:04 PM
Quote from: machias on May 22, 2021, 10:28:52 PM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on May 22, 2021, 08:14:17 PM
Houghton Road/I-10 Interchange Update

Quote
The concrete work on the bridge comes as the Arizona Department of Transportation reaches the halfway point of a $24.4 million project to rebuild the interchange.

While drivers have experienced several temporary ramp and lane shifts during the project, the concrete pour will allow drivers to see the bridge's final driving surface come into view.

This summer, traffic on Houghton Road will move from the existing two-lane bridge to the new six-lane structure. Motorists will cross I-10 in a temporary lane configuration for several months while crews demolish the old bridge and complete building new ramps on the east side of the interchange.

Read more here: https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/crews-pour-concrete-deck-on-houghton-road-i-10-structure/52215

I've been watching this project on and off and it's nice to see it progressing.

As an aside, I see several maps that show Houghton Rd as SR 983, but I've never seen a sign indicating it as this. Is this an "unsigned" official route?
There are a number of roads around Tucson like that, for example Tangerine Rd (SR-989) and Valencia Rd (SR-910). Annoyingly, Apple Maps treats them as if they are actually signed, but there are no signs in the field.
Tangerine (SR 989) is the only one of those that was acknowledged in the field. Not any 989 shield, but a mileage sign. Don't know if it's still there or not.

https://www.arizonaroads.com/arizona/az989.html



SM-G975U


KeithE4Phx

The sign for Milepost 35 was there as of June 2018, when this Google Street View photo was taken.  I'm not sure if ADOT maintains only the bridge or the entire road between the bridge and AZ 77.  In any case, it is not signed as AZ 989 anywhere.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.42672,-110.9516145,3a,75y,259.15h,88.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5n9BWqdReVRBFPtyTEotbw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
"Oh, so you hate your job? Well, why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called "EVERYBODY!" They meet at the bar." -- Drew Carey



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