As modern streetcar construction progresses, Second Street from Park Avenue to Olive Street will continue to be closed and “detours may be in place along Second Street from Park Avenue to Mountain Avenue” until Sunday, according to a recent streetcar construction update.
UA community members are advised to expect lane restrictions on University Boulevard between Park Avenue and Bean Avenue from
1 a.m. to 11 a.m. with possible closures on Euclid Avenue at University Boulevard.
“We’ve been meeting with the construction company weekly and they give us what’s happening that week, plus a three week look-ahead,” said Bill Davidson, marketing specialist for UA Parking and Transportation Services. “We’ve been using social media and all the other means to get the word out to the campus.”
The downtown area is also ramping up the level of construction causing SunTran to detour many of its routes and close some of its stops in downtown as of Tuesday, some of which run near the campus area. Route 3, which crosses campus on Sixth Street, will be detoured in downtown as well as express routes 102, 103, 105 and 109, all of which run on Speedway Boulevard. All Ronstadt Transit Center stops will remain open.
“We have some buses that come straight here to the campus and then there’s others that go downtown and they (students) have to transfer,” Davidson said.
Route 3 will have three discontinued stops on Granada Avenue at St. Mary’s Road, Granada Avenue at Ashbury Lane and Alameda Street at Court Avenue going east and the nearest stop will be on Toole Avenue at Seventh Street. Express routes will have to discontinue many stops along Congress Street, Broadway Boulevard, Alameda Street, Toole Avenue, Pennington Street, Church Avenue and Stone Avenue.
The four main downtown stops to remain open will be the northwest corner of Congress Street at Church Avenue, the northwest corner of Congress Street at Granada Avenue, the corner of Church Avenue at Pennington Street and the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue at Pennington Street.
The streetcar project will relocate a section of the water line on Second Street between Palm Drive and Mountain Avenue on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Because the UA has its own well for domestic water, the water line, which belongs to the city of Tucson, will only affect fire hydrants and emergency sprinklers in nearby buildings. Wednesday’s relocation will not turn off any fire line but may affect water pressures in the lines.
“We can turn off that fire line and not affect any buildings,” said Chris Wilt, facilities project manager. “All the fire services will remain active.”
As the streetcar project continues to work with underground utilities, some city water will be shut down in short phases but this will not affect water fountains, sinks, showers or any other domestic water source on campus.
“Ultimately, the whole water line down Second (Street) needs to be relocated for the streetcar,” Wilt said. “The only water that they’re going to be turning off is water that affects the (fire) sprinklers and fire hydrants.”
Fourth Avenue between Sixth Street and University Boulevard will also remain closed to traffic throughout the week of April 9, keeping sidewalks and business access open to pedestrians.
“It’s a small price to pay in terms of a delay right now for a few months of impact versus what they’ll (businesses or business owners) end up having in the long run,” said Jesse Gutierrez, the City of Tucson Construction Project Manager.
Ray LaHood, U.S. secretary of transportation, will be at the ceremony along with some congressmen and senators to dedicate the streetcar line, Davidson said.
