Building a Better Grant Road

April 3rd, 2006

by Steve Farley, Board Member, Blenman Elm Neighborhood Association

I don’t have to tell you. You already know. Grant Road today is dangerous, ugly, and congested.

Grant isn’t working for motorists who have to wait for two and three signal cycles to pass through intersections. This wastes our time and money and pollutes our air–idling at intersections is the most significant source of pollution in our region.

Grant isn’t working for pedestrians who have to cross five lanes without any median refuge to get to the other side. Kids have been killed trying to cross. In a brief period of time early last year in a one-mile stretch between Alvernon and Country Club, nine pedestrians were injured, and one was killed.

Grant isn’t working for businesses when congestion blocks access to their driveways, there are no sidewalks for customers to reach their front doors, and any rainfall turns the road into a river.

All this is why the Grant Road project is one of the most important reasons to vote YES on Questions 1 and 2 on May 16.

When the plan passes on May 16, we will rebuild Grant Road as a neighborhood-friendly small-business corridor with improved crosstown mobility for motorists and improved safety for pedestrians.

If we don’t fix Grant now, there is no other source of significant revenues for its improvement. We can’t use impact fees, because those can only be spent where they are collected, predominantly in new subdivisions on the edges of town.

I have heard an opponent claim that we could improve Grant for less cost by simply improving intersections. That is simply not true. An intersection-only plan would not rebuild the roadbed to improve major drainage problems, would not build continuous sidewalks, would not build bike lanes, would not build medians for pedestrian safety, would not build pedestrian crossings at mid-block, and would not improve traffic flow as effectively as the proposed project.

If we don’t pass this plan, Grant will continue its decay as a dangerous, clogged roadway. Business activity will continue to decline as customers avoid the congestion to go elsewhere. More pedestrians will be injured and killed trying to cross with no median for refuge.

The Regional Transportation Authority listened to a group of concerned central-city neighbors and small businesses along the Grant corridor and took our advice to require Corridor Area Plans not just for Grant, but also for every other road project in the plan.

This public process guarantees that the neighbors and businesses most directly affected by these projects will sit on the citizen committee that will help to design the improved roadways. We can decide what parts of Grant we want to preserve, and what blighted parts we would like to improve.

We can build a six-lane road that is good for motorists and nearby residents. I live on the south side of Helen Street, so my backyard is literally Speedway Boulevard.

Speedway was widened some years back from five to six lanes, and I am proud to have this improved roadway as my neighbor. It is easy and safe for my daughters and I to cross the street to Himmel Park.

There are vibrant local businesses like Casa Video and many restaurants within walking distance. Continuous sidewalks, bike lanes and landscaping made a great improvement to my neighborhood’s quality of life.

I don’t think anyone would want today’s run-down Grant Road in their back yard. This is a tremendous opportunity to invest in the livability of our central city at the same time as we improve crosstown mobility.

Our newly re-built Grant Road will work for neighborhoods, businesses, pedestrians, AND motorists. Join me along with thousands of other community-minded Tucsonans and vote YES on Questions 1 and 2 on May 16.

Entry Filed under: Home Page Feature, Road Improvements, Safety, Economic development