Table of Contents
		(Last site update: March 20, 2006)

RTA Draft Plan (10/26/05) Excerpt

Overview
Snyder Bridge over Sabino Creek will alleviate traffic congestion on Tanque Verde Road and reduce the number of miles driven in Tucson and Pima County -- thereby, lower the risk of auto accidents, reduce roadkill (save wildlife), and reduce air pollution.  These fact are confirmed in an independent study by one of the most reputable traffic consultants to Pima County, and the County administrator, Chuck Huckelberry, affirmed the bridge would decrease congestion and increase safety. Yet, the RTA chose to ignore this highly cost effective regional transportation project.  Since the majority of transportation problems solved by this bridge are on city streets, while the bridge is located in unincorporated Pima County, inclusion in a regional plan is a political necessity to get it built.

The RTA has done almost nothing to solve traffic problems along Tanque Verde Road even though they are among the worst in Pima County.  Snyder Bridge is by far the most cost effective solution to traffic problems on Tanque Verde -- not to mention reduced traffic on other streets, such as Grant -- and affordable alternatives do not exist for many of these monster intersections.  Without the bridge, voters waiting for a solution to worsening Tanque Verde congestion are left with no choice but to defeat this RTA plan at the ballot box in May so work on a new plan can begin immediately.  Add in the fact that only half the RTA road tax actually goes into roadway improvements, and the answer is very clear:  Vote NO on the RTA tax in May so a new RTA plan can be developed that makes sensible use of taxpayer money to solve our regions growing traffic problems.

The current RTA plan provides no effective relief for Tanque Verde traffic problems.
Segments of Tanque Verde Road are documented to have some of the worst traffic congestion in Tucson, yet the RTA 20-year plan neglects this ongoing transportation problem.  They spend plenty of our tax dollars to accommodate growth in the outskirts of the region, where developer impact fees could pay for increased capacity, but don't see fit to invest in our existing problems along Tanque Verde.

The RTA's proposed connection of Kolb Road to Sabino Canyon over the Pantano (project 16 on the map above) could provide some relief to traffic on a small stretch of Tanque Verde, but the RTA has not fully funded this project.  They only allocated this project 10% of the true $87 Million cost of doing it properly.  The RTA initially allocated the full $87 Million, as reported by the Arizona Daily Star here, but subsequently cut the funding.  If you don't believe us, watch Jim Glock, Tucson Dept. of Transportation Director, explain to the RTA committees why $87 Million is required to implement this project acceptably under city standards here [2Mb].  Also, Mr. Glock explains that although the City of Tucson considered this project in the past, they found it is NOT a cost effective solution for Tanque Verde traffic problems! 

Furthermore, a Kolb Road extension over the Pantano is not on any maps or plans -- unlike Snyder Road Bridge which has been part of the Tucson region Major Streets and Routes Plan for over 50 years -- making it unfair to the homeowners who live at the south end of Sabino Canyon Road adjacent to Udall Park.  (One can only wonder why the RTA feels it is fair to alter those homeowners' neighborhood, but not the Hidden Valley neighborhood where a bridge has been planned for 50 years and is far more cost effective?)  City Council Member Carol West, whose Ward contains most of the congested segments of Tanque Verde Road as well as the Kolb extension, formally objected to this project, but the RTA board ignored her too.  The RTA plan that will entangles us all in this underfunded project already deemed cost ineffective by the City of Tucson.  The presence of this Kolb project in the RTA plan amounts to nothing more than throwing a bone to high voter turnout, Northeast side commuters while ignoring the most cost effective solution, Snyder Bridge, to the transportation problems they face daily along Tanque Verde Road.

At $20 Million, Snyder Bridge is the most cost effective solution to Tanque Verde traffic.  Grant Road and Sabino Canyon Road will also be relieved of traffic when Snyder Bridge is built.  The RTA acknowledged [2Mb video] their own traffic model shows that 18,000 trips-per-day would benefit from Snyder Bridge, yet they continued to cite a dizzying array of excuses to ignore it!  That's 18,000 trips that are now clogging up Tanque Verde!  Two of the common RTA excuses seem to revolve around environmental concerns and NIMBY complaints.  The fact is that this bridge will have negligible impact on the riparian area of Sabino Creek (as confirmed by environmental experts in this report), far less than the damage done by residents living there, and will benefit the environment by reducing air pollution and roadkill.  Those who oppose it for NIMBY reasons have little to stand on since this bridge has been shown in the Major Streets and Routes plan since 1960!

Now is the time to act.
Now is the time to step up and take a stand for Snyder Bridge.  A Snyder Road Bridge over Sabino Creek will relieve traffic congestion along two miles of Tanque Verde Road and several other roads intersecting Tanque Verde, including Grant Road.  For most traffic, a total of 8-miles of roadway is eliminated -- over 6 Million miles driven annually!  If Snyder Bridge is excluded from the RTA 20-year regional transportation plan under development, it is unlikely to be built for decades, if ever, and traffic congestion along Tanque Verde will get much worse. Since the proposed RTA  plan ignores the overwhelming justification for building the bridge, we must defeat this plan in May, so a new, sensible RTA plan can be developed!!!  The current plan is not just a disappointment for those who travel along Tanque Verde, but for the entire city of Tucson in desperate need of smart transportation improvements, not plans that throw our limited tax dollars down the drain.

Driving consumes much of our life and is the most dangerous things most of us do.  It is up to every one of us to speak up to get this bridge built.  Your participation will make a difference, and without it, this bridge won't ever be built, and more money will be wasted on less effective attempts to handle growing traffic on Tanque Verde.   Here are steps you must take to make it happen:

As shown in Figure 2, the area surrounding the bridge is hardly a pristine, undisturbed wilderness.  The homes in this riparian area, many of which are owned by those opposed to the bridge, have disturbed far more native vegetation than Snyder Bridge will!  Any increase in traffic noise can be mitigated by barriers and keeping the speed limit down.  The speed limit on the west side of Snyder should remain 25 MPH, and the same speed limit should apply to the bridge.  The speed limit on Snyder west of the Bridge should be lowered to 35 MPH -- which should also be done on other streets in the area to improve safety. Cars are now driving through these neighborhoods at 45 MPH which is unsafe.  The bridge eliminates so many driving miles that higher speeds through these neighborhoods are no longer justified. With lower speed limits, and fewer total miles driven, not only will public safety be improved and pollution eliminated, but road-kill will be reduced for the entire area!

Computer Model of Snyder Bridge
Rendered by Merging Actual Photos with Structural Engineer's Design

Figure 1.   Creek Level View.  Water and wildlife flow freely under a modern bridge.

Figure 2.   Elevated View.  The bridge will blend into the riparian area without disturbing surrounding vegetation.

Figure 3.   Houghton Bridge over Tanque Verde Creek.  Notice how native vegetation grows right next to the bridge.

Figure 4.   Houghton Bridge over Tanque Verde Creek.  Notice again how little disturbance such a bridge creates to the riparian area.

Figure 5.   Satellite image of Sabino Creek with property lines superimposed.  Residents have destroyed acres of native riparian vegetation in addition to that cleared for their houses.  Synder Bridge will have a much smaller net impact on the riparian area, and vegetation removed for the bridge will be replaced elsewhere, as required by county Native Plant Preservation ordinances.

Figure 6.   Snyder Bridge in Major Streets and Routes Plan.  Snyder Bridge has been part of this plan since 1960.