Home		Table of Contents
		(Last page update: January 25, 2006)

Letter written by Bob Beaudry and his wife, Barbara Beaudry, and published by the Arizona Daily Star November 7, 2005:

"There is only one Sabino Creek rushing down from the mountains in this beautiful and historic riparian area in Southern Arizona.  It is truly a one-of- a-kind place with rare birds and wild creatures existing in a peaceful environment within this fast changing semi-arid valley.  A running creek near Tucson … imagine that.  If this area is destroyed, it's a loss for our entire community.  Financial resources are best allocated to areas that benefit the most people.  The proposed Snyder Road bridge would require a huge expanse and be extremely expensive - $200 million-$500 million or more, depending on estimates - and it isn't necessary.  We enjoy very limited transportation funds in Southern Arizona as compared with Maricopa County.  We cannot afford to squander precious funding to satisfy a few people while sacrificing areas of greater need, which serve many more citizens in Pima County."

One can only wonder where the Beaudrys get their estimates.  In 1998, engineers estimated the cost of the bridge (two lanes, as recommended) to be about $9 million.  Chuck Huckelberry is on record stating in 2005 that the bridge itself will cost about $20 million if it is four-lanes wide (four lanes would provide more than enough capacity for decades);  Huckelberry also stated that corresponding improvements to both sides of Snyder would cost an additional $20 to $30 million.  Note that the RTA allocated $9 million for the Kolb extension project to build a similar bridge over the Pantano, build three-quarters of a mile of road, and construct ingress/egress to Kolb and the Tanque Verde/Sabino Canyon intersection.

Perhaps the Beaudrys would like to send us the source for their estimates of "$200 million-$500 million or more?"  We'll be happy to publish them here for everyone to see.