AUGUST 2004
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The Transportation IssueGo To: T.I.C.E.T. To Ride • Paving The WayBy Lee Allen
“Twenty thousand employees come Downtown each day, in addition to tourists, convention-goers and special events attendees,” says Chris Leighton, Tucson Department of Transportation Parking Program Coordinator. “Many of them are familiar faces as we transport 17,000 passengers a month.” It took awhile for the wheels to start to roll. “For some 25 years, city planning documents included the concept of a Downtown circulator,” Leighton says. “It was sort of one of those things that everybody nodded their head in approval, but there never was a funding source identified. When we created the ParkWise program in 1997, it was one of the program responsibilities we said we’d take on. It makes sense to be funded by revenue from parking permits and fines because what it does is help open up parking options and reduce parking demand. Now you can park once and do everything you want Downtown without having to look for a new parking space at every spot.” There are three routes, each of which has a different client base. The yellow flag route serves permit holders of several parking lots and concentrates on the core Downtown retail area, passing by city, county, and federal government buildings from 6:30am-6:30pm. Because this route attracts lots of commuting workers and standing-room-only is a frequent occurrence, additional express service runs 7:00am to 9:00am and again from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The Blue Route hits more of a tourist crowd as it passes by the Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson Children’s Museum and Old Town Artisans. The Red Route serves many transit-dependent uses where other forms of transit do not, and goes as far west as Commerce Park Loop to St. Mary’s Road and back Downtown via 6th Street and Church Avenue. “You can’t miss these brightly-painted eye-catching vehicles,” says Leighton, who refers to them as “roving public art.” Depending on the route, they circulate every 10-20 minutes and transfers between routes can be made. All vehicles are handicapped accessible, have comfortable seating and air-conditioning, and are driven by friendly folks. “I love this job because I meet the nicest people from all walks of life,” says Heather Shigley of her four months behind the wheel. Currently the City owns the shuttle vans bought for one dollar each from Van Tran as surplus items, although Leighton says the entire service package will soon go out to bid to include new, alternative fuel, vehicles. Highest ridership takes place during Tucson’s temperature fluctuations, especially so in summer months when triple digit readings predominate. Routes are tweaked every six months based on passenger service volume. “We’ve probably peaked on passenger load until we go to a 2-way street system,” he says. Funding sources for TICET transit come from net profits at the County’s El Presidio Garage as well as parking meters and fines for those who use them improperly. As the cost of doing business continues to climb, additional revenues will be needed and a rate hike for parking permits is in the offing. The main need cited for the pending hike is to raise dollars for preventive efforts. “Parking was managed differently before we came around,” says Leighton. “Maintenance work was non-existent. Now at least one garage will have to be torn down because it’s no longer structurally sound. We’d rather be proactive than reactive in the future. We’re aggressive about running like a business --- not going back to the taxpayers for more dollars, but having program users fund the services.” “Rates were too low when we took over,” Leighton says. “Every garage we had rented spaces at $20 a month. But upkeep alone, sweeping and soaking up oil and that sort of thing, was $15 a month. Security was another $10 a month.” “TICET is a city-sponsored program that actually gets positive feedback because of our customer service bent,” says Leighton, acknowledging that not everyone is happy. City employee and parking garage customer Cathy Shirley is one of those: “I don’t have a problem with TICET, per se, but it does look to me like I’m being asked to pick up more than my share of the program cost out of my parking fee.” The program director says parking rate hikes are not intended to fund TICET. “The goal is for ALL of our parking programs to contribute to Downtown transit --- five percent of any fee we receive will go to fund the shuttle.” As TICET transit looks ahead, Leighton predicts: “It’s still a couple of years off, but our aim is to expand TICET into more neighborhoods surrounding Downtown.”
by Michael Graham,
Such are the concerns of City transportation planners and others involved in breathing new life into Tucson’s city center. A lot of attention is paid to the exciting stuff: the University of Arizona Science Center, Civic Plaza, proposed Arena, commercial developments and hip residential projects, to name a few. But progress is also being made on a number of transportation projects designed to make Downtown more user-friendly. Right now they’re not often talked about outside planning meetings or discussions with business owners, and they may not seem as sexy as the key attractions, but they’re just as important to the success of Downtown. Even considering the increased focus on new Downtown housing and plans to improve transit in the city center, the truth is that nearly all of the visitors drawn here by Rio Nuevo will arrive in their cars. They’ll need places to park, and then they’ll need to be assured to have convenient ways to get around once they’re here. Downtown’s transportation system as it exists right now isn’t equipped to handle a major increase in traffic, greater parking demands and more transit use. Fortunately, the City seems to have done its homework about what it takes to create – and support – a fully revitalized Downtown. The Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT) is beginning several projects soon to make Downtown easier to navigate, and more are on the way in the next few years to coincide with construction of key Rio Nuevo attractions. One of the first on the list will be the realignment of 4th Avenue and the construction of a new underpass. Moving From 4th Avenue to Congress StreetBuilt in 1916, the historic 4th Avenue underpass serves as a primary gateway to Downtown and links it to the 4th Avenue commercial district and University area. The way the underpass routes traffic into Downtown - by forcing it to merge immediately with westbound Congress St. or Toole Ave. - is not terribly efficient, causing confusion for motorists and creating traffic bottlenecks at busy times of day. For those reasons, it’s also not very safe. Solving that problem is one of the goals of the realignment project.
Another motivation for the project is widening the underpass so it can accommodate the continuation of Barraza-Aviation Parkway, says Brooks Keenan, TDOT’s engineering manager. Keenan said TDOT plans to extend Stevens Avenue on top of the underpass between Broadway Blvd. and 6th St., connecting with the Parkway and providing a way around Downtown for motorists headed for Interstate 10. That project is scheduled to follow closely on the heels of the underpass project and will take about one year to complete. The aging underpass also has structural issues that put it at the top of TDOT’s “to do” list. It floods during heavy rains and sports a façade that is deteriorating badly. The steep slope on the underpass’s south end presents a problem for wheelchairs, which keeps the structure from meeting safety standards handed down by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In a word, it’s outdated. Yet it’s a charming part of Downtown that contributes to Tucson’s unique character, and an official member of the National Register of Historic Places. As part of the realignment project the old underpass will be completely restored and turned into a pedestrian-only walkway between 4th Ave. and Congress St. Wheelchair access will be improved as much as possible, given its design. To carry vehicles and bikes, a new underpass will be built just to the east of the existing structure, on an undeveloped scrap of land left behind by the original project nearly ninety years ago. It will have two traffic lanes, bike lanes, ADA-compliant sidewalks and a route for the streetcar, which will enter Downtown for the first time. When the underpass project is complete, 4th Ave. will extend all the way to Broadway Blvd. and the intersection of 4th Ave. and Congress St. will be entirely rebuilt. The $17 million project is scheduled to begin within about six months of a final decision about where to relocate the Greyhound bus station, which allows four months for the bus company to move and two months to demolish the existing building. Right now, that puts the project’s tentative start date somewhere in early 2005. “Phased” Construction Will Keep 4th Avenue OpenAlthough Congress St. will have to be closed at certain points during the underpass project, the good news, says TDOT Director Jim Glock, is that 4th Ave. will remain open. Railroad traffic will also continue uninterrupted. “The new underpass will be ready for use before we have to close the old one, meaning 4th Ave. will be open at all times,” said Glock. “The phasing of this project was carefully planned to cause minimal disturbance for the 4th Ave. and Downtown merchants, who were concerned about how this may affect them. I think almost everyone is happy with how the plans have taken shape,” he said. Once the Greyhound site is cleared and underground utilities relocated, the north half of the underpass will be built and the railroad tracks will be moved on top of it. The south side of the underpass will be built next, and work will begin on the reconstruction of the intersection of Congress St. and 4th Ave. By the time the intersection has to be temporarily closed, the new underpass will be complete and traffic will begin moving through it all the way to Broadway Blvd. Closure of the intersection will also allow TDOT to put down new streetcar tracks. They’ll pick up at the current end point on North 4th Ave. near 8th St., run through the new underpass, and extend all the way to the newly-renovated Historic Depot on Toole Ave. While that’s taking place, TDOT will also be re-furbishing the old underpass and converting it to pedestrian use. The new underpass and re-built intersection of Congress St. and 4th Ave. will be worth the wait and minor inconvenience, according to Keenan. The intersection will be brought up to current standards by flattening out the steep grade, thereby improving visibility. It will also be outfitted with new traffic signals, including a separate signal phase for the streetcar line so that it won’t conflict with traffic. Keenan says future plans for streetcars, which should begin running in about five years, call for a loop along Congress St. and Pennington St. that will run all the way to the Tucson Convention Center. Going Two-WayCongress St. will undergo more major changes when it’s converted to two-way traffic between 4th and 5th Avenues and from Church Ave. to Stone Ave. Broadway Blvd. from 4th Ave. to Church Ave. will also see the disappearance of the one-way signs. The conversion projects are scheduled to take place during the two-year underpass realignment. TDOT planned the phase-out of one-way traffic in these areas—with the Mayor and Council’s recent approval—as yet another way to make Downtown more pleasant and easier to navigate. The change was recommended by experts who specialize in Downtown revitalization, and TDOT is completing a traffic study to guide its implementation. “Allowing cars to travel in both directions will encourage ‘destination’ traffic, that is people coming to Downtown for a purpose, instead of motorists just passing through,” says TDOT’s director, Jim Glock. “We see that as an important ingredient in the recipe for Downtown revitalization.”
Although many Tucsonans won’t remember it, the two-way conversion project is actually a return to the Downtown of 40 years ago. That’s when Tucson and many other cities began switching to one-way streets to increase carrying capacity and move traffic through Downtown more quickly, Glock said. But what many Downtowns have discovered, Tucson included, is that efficiently moving people through the city center isn’t necessarily a good thing if your goal is to bring them here to shop, eat, work and play. The increased carrying capacity of one-way streets makes them attractive to commuters but it restricts local business access and discourages pedestrian traffic. One-way streets are also confusing for motorists, enough even to keep them from coming Downtown in the first place. “It’s a tradeoff,” Keenan says. “Our engineering models predict a 15 percent reduction in carrying capacity once we allow traffic to move in both directions. That means traffic will be slower, but in this case that’s good because the streets will be less like freeways and more like Downtown streets,” he said. “But the slower traffic shouldn’t lead to excessive congestion because pass-through traffic will naturally migrate to faster streets like Speedway Blvd., 22nd St., 6th St. and Euclid Ave.” 5 Points Project Will Improve Intersection, Introduce Two-Way TrafficPortions of S. 6th Ave. (from 18th St. to Broadway Blvd.) and Stone Ave. (between 18th St. and Congress St.) will also be converted to two-way traffic and the five-way intersection—where those streets intersect with 18th St.—will be re-built. TDOT project manager Kim McKay says the “Five Points” project, as it’s known, will straighten and improve the intersection and direct traffic up Stone Ave., which will then have two travel lanes in each direction. Sixth Ave. will have three lanes, street parking, bike lanes, and adequate room for Sun Tran buses. McKay says the changes will help overall traffic circulation Downtown, particularly in the immediate vicinity of the intersection. “The Five Points project will enhance circulation in the Armory Park neighborhood because it will improve flow across 6th Ave. and eliminate truck traffic through the neighborhood,” McKay said. The project is scheduled to begin as soon as it receives environmental clearance from the Arizona Department of Transportation. That clearance is required because Five Points is funded by federal gas tax revenues that come back to the state for transportation improvements. More Parking on the HorizonTurning Downtown into a destination means the city center will need more parking. TDOT’s ParkWise Commission recently completed a parking master plan to guide Downtown’s parking needs for the next decade. The plan calls for a 750-space garage at the corner of Pennington St. and South 6th Ave., which is scheduled to begin later this year and be complete in mid-2005. Chris Leighton, ParkWise’s Parking Program Coordinator, says the facility was carefully researched and designed to provide ample, convenient parking for the east end of Downtown. The garage will also include ground-floor commercial space for restaurants, retail shops and offices. The Pennington Street Garage is a public-private partnership between the City of Tucson and The Colton Company. The parking master plan also calls for new garage facilities at Presidio Terrace and the Civic Plaza, two major Rio Nuevo projects that will be developed in the next few years. The garage at Presidio Terrace will include approximately 240 spaces to replace the existing parking lot and expand the area’s existing public parking. A garage beneath the Civic Plaza will provide parking for the UA Science Center, Tucson Convention Center, a new arena, a planned hotel and other area attractions. Taking the Focus Off of CarsKnowing that most visitors to Downtown will come in their cars, TDOT is working to improve public transit in the city center so that people can park once and then get around easily, and give them an alternative to driving. The City has just begun a Major Transit Investment Study to address public transit in the University and Downtown areas. The one-year study, which is being funded by the Federal Transit Administration, will evaluate the city center’s transit needs and present possible solutions, ranging from new modes of transportation to expanding existing systems, such as the trolley, bus and T.I.C.E.T. (Tucson Inner City Express Transit) shuttles. New modes of transportation could include a streetcar system or light rail. Design will begin in early 2005 when the study is complete, and construction is tentatively scheduled to run from 2006 through 2008. Making Downtown more pedestrian-friendly is also a big part of the City’s transportation plans. The message coming from urban planners all over the country is that the best communities are pedestrian-friendly. Public life flourishes when people can walk together to work and school, to run errands and visit friends. Downtown Tucson has always been a great place to walk, thanks to its compactness and ample pedestrian space - and it looks like TDOT’s upcoming projects will make it even better. Pedestrian-friendly features like sidewalks, crosswalks, sheltered benches, drinking fountains and public art are being included in most new roadway projects. Improvements are also planned for existing Downtown streets. Re-design work will begin soon along stretches of Scott Ave. and on Congress St. from Church to Toole Avenues, improving their overall look and feel and making them more inviting to pedestrians. The two-way conversion projects are also intended to “pedestrianize” those parts of Downtown by eliminating the freeway effect and slowing traffic down. One of the keys to creating a successful Downtown is making sure its attractions are well supported by its infrastructure. As the City, private investors and various Downtown advocates work to bring life back to Downtown Tucson, it’s encouraging to see that the crucial transportation projects are also being planned, scheduled and funded. That means Tucson should be well on its way to joining the ranks of the country’s most lively and enjoyable Downtowns. |
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ontrary to popular opinion, you can get “there” from “here” and you don’t need a ticket to ride --- if you’re riding TICET, Tucson Inner City Express Transit. This fleet of colorfully-decorated shuttle buses makes continuous rounds (between 3rd Avenue and Commerce Park Loop and between St. Mary’s Road and 12th Street) and promises to get riders “anywhere you’re going Downtown.” For free.
f you build it, they will come.” Kevin Costner heard this sage advice and built his field of dreams, no questions asked. Had he been a part of the Rio Nuevo team, charged with revitalizing all of Downtown Tucson, he may have felt more pressure to sweat the details. “Of course they’ll come,” he would have replied. “But how will they get here and move easily from place to place? And where will they park?”
