Welcome to the 1st Avenue: River Road to Grant Road Project Website
The City of Tucson, in partnership with Pima Association of Governments and the Regional Transportation Authority (PAG/RTA), is improving 1st Avenue from River Road to Grant Road.
This project includes a new bridge over the Rillito River, pavement reconstruction, continuous and accessible sidewalks, enhanced bicycle facilities, safety improvements, drainage improvements, upgraded traffic signals, and landscaping. The purpose of the project is to modernize the corridor using a Complete Streets framework to enhance safety for all users, improve roadway conditions, and provide greater comfort and accessibility for pedestrians, transit riders, and bicyclists.
Project Goals
- Improve Safety for all users of 1st Avenue, particularly for the most vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, people with disabilities, motorcyclists, and others.
- Minimize the impacts of 1st Avenue improvements on adjacent residents and businesses.
- Increase transportation options and reduce barriers on 1st Avenue by improving comfort, convenience, and accessibility for people walking, biking, and using public transport.
- Improve the condition of existing infrastructure to ensure that 1st Avenue meets community needs now and into the future.
- Enhance the visual character of 1st Avenue to support economic and community vitality.
- Support mobility along the corridor through the efficient movement of traffic, including transit, personal, and commercial vehicles.
The February 2025 1st Avenue Citizens' Corridor Planning Task Force Meeting presentation provides an in-depth look at project goals.
Project Update
Community Outreach
Phase 1 of community outreach began in Fall 2024. It included a survey seeking community input on priorities for the 1st Avenue corridor. Here's a few key points of what we heard:
- The priorities for the community include safety for all users and improving sidewalks and bike lanes for cyclists and pedestrians.
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When asked to rank four project considerations in order of importance, here's how respondents answered:
Final Results
Categories Average weight Rank Bicycle / pedestrian safety and comfort 3.23 1 Minimizing project costs 1.91 4 Minimizing impacts on private property and businesses 2.22 3 Reducing traffic congestion and travel time 2.64 2 -
When asked what challenges they have as a corridor user, respondents were given the following eight options and asked to select all that apply. Here's how they answered:
Final Results
- Safety for all roadway users 400
- Road condition 327
- Walkability and sidewalk condition 300
- Traffic 290
- Bikeability and bike lane condition 275
- Shade / landscaping 270
- Bus service / stop 158
- Other 84
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When asked which ONE challenge they cared about solving most, here's how respondents answered:
Final Results
- Safety for all roadway users 216
- Bikeability and bike lane condition 92
- Road condition 79
- Traffic 66
- Walkability and sidewalk condition 49
- Other 29
- Shade / landscaping 24
- Bus service / stop 16
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When asked to select the top five things they want to make better on the corridor, here's how respondents answered:
Final Results
- Better bike lanes (including protected bike lanes) 13%
- Improvements at major (signalized) intersections for people walking and biking 13%
- Comfortable and accessible sidewalks 13%
- More trees and landscaping 12%
- More places to safely cross the street 11%
- Road condition 11%
- Better lighting 8%
- Improved bus service and stops 8%
- Better drainage 5%
- More turn lanes at intersections 5%
- Other 2%
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When asked to select the top five things they want to make better on the corridor, here's how respondents answered:
- Concerns with people crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk in the corridor
- Safety along the corridor
- Buses stopping traffic and the need for bus pullouts
- Better bicycle lanes
- Sidewalks
- More lighting
More information on outreach efforts, survey responses, and comments received can be found in our Public Outreach Phase 1 Memo and January 2025 1st Avenue Citizens' Corridor Planning Task Force presentation.
We Want to Hear from You!
Please provide your feedback on challenges or areas you'd like to see improved as a part of the 1st Ave Improvement Project.