Design of the Houghton Road: 22nd Street to Irvington Road project began in October 2016. The design concept and initial design were established during the conceptual design phase which started in 2006. Improvements will extend from just south of the 22nd Street intersection to immediately north of the Irvington Road intersection and will include bridges at the Pantano Wash. The design process was completed in 2021.

In-person public meetings were held in September 2017 (Meeting summary), May 2019 and October 2019. A virtual public meeting was held on Nov. 12, 2020. To view the meeting recording, click here.

Public art concepts for this project were discussed at a virtual public meeting held on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. A recording of the meeting can be viewed by clicking here.

Additional virtual public meetings were held on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, to review updated public art concepts for the project area. To view recordings of the meetings, click here.

We are currently in the final phase of this process before the project is ready to go out for bid and construction. Property acquisitions are moving forward but are not yet completed. The remaining property acquisitions/rights of use necessary for the remaining utility relocation construction and the roadway construction are currently anticipated to be complete by December 2024 through March 2025.

Utility relocations began in 2023 and will continue through 2025 into 2026 as property acquisitions progress. Once remaining property acquisitions and utility relocation construction efforts are complete, the project will be put out for bids and a contractor selected, with road construction anticipated to begin in 2026. Once the contractor is selected, a meeting will be scheduled for the public to meet the contractor, learn about the construction process and ask questions.  

Improvements include

• Widening Houghton Road to a curbed six-lane roadway with median

• Retrofit and widening of existing Pantano Bridge to accommodate for the new Houghton Road southbound traffic, and addition of a new bridge aligned along the east side of the existing bridge structure for the new roadway northbound traffic

• Left-turn lanes and dedicated right-turn lanes at Old Spanish Trail, Golf Links Road and Escalante Road

• PELICAN pedestrian crossing signal at Secrist Middle School

• New and upgraded traffic signals at Old Spanish Trail, Golf Links Road and Escalante Road intersections

• Drainage improvements to provide all-weather access during major storms

• Bus pullouts

• Improved asphalt surface for noise mitigation

• Bicycle and pedestrian facilities

• Native landscaping with water harvesting

• Roadway lighting

• Public art

Funding

The Regional Transportation Authority, a political subdivision of the state and independently governed, has invested more than $1.4 billion in transportation projects and services to improve mobility, safety, economic vitality and quality of life in the region. The RTA collects a half-cent excise (sales) tax from its special taxing district within Pima County to fund its 20-year regional transportation plan. The plan and tax were approved by voters in May 2006. The Houghton Road Corridor projects are part of the RTA plan and are managed by the City of Tucson. For more information, visit www.RTAmobility.com.