 |
Pima Association of Governments will host open houses March 8, 9 and 10 for public review and comment on proposed regional transportation improvements that start construction or design in the next five-year period as part of the Transportation Improvement Program, as well as proposed elements for the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan.
 The value of the improvements identified within the FY 2011-2015 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is $2.2 billion.
The 2040 plan identifies general strategies and specific improvements for improving our transportation network over the next 30 years so we can build livable communities for ourselves and future generations.
The open houses are scheduled as follows:
-
March 8, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Joyner Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Cañada Drive, Green Valley
-
March 9, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Randolph Clubhouse, 600 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson
-
March 10, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Foothills Mall, in the Food Court, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd., Tucson
A subcommittee made up of PAG’s jurisdictional members updates the TIP annually. A task force made up of both jurisdiction and community interest representatives is guiding development of the RTP. Each of the jurisdictions has projects within both the TIP and RTP.
The TIP and RTP identify priorities for national, state and local roadways transit or bus services; aviation, bike and pedestrian facilities as well as programs such as ride sharing, van pooling and Safe-Routes-to-School. The TIP and RTP include projects funded through the Regional Transportation Authority plan, which Pima County voters approved on May 16, 2006. The $2.1 billion RTA plan will be implemented up to 2026.
The TIP is scheduled to be presented to PAG’s Regional Council for final approval at its May 27 meeting, which will be held in the 5th floor conference room at 177 N. Church Ave. The meeting is open to the public.
The RTP is scheduled to be completed by July 2010. For information about availability of draft documents for review starting April 20, please visit www.pagnet.org.
 Josh Pope joins Pima Association of Governments as GIS Manager. Josh will create planning and development related data and tools to support PAG’s regional land use modeling effort and work to improve PAG’s web mapping resources.
From 2000 to 2007, Josh led GIS development at The Planning Center, a locally owned private planning firm. The building permit review tools his team created were awarded recognition from both the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association and the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Since 2007, Josh has been with the City of Tucson Urban Planning and Design department and the City’s Information Technology department where he worked on GIS projects to assist in planning and development review. Josh has a bachelor’s of science from the University of Louisville.
 Philip Cyr is promoted to the position of Graphic Design Manager. Philip began doing graphic design and photography for PAG in 2006. He has had the task of re-branding PAG, as well as designing most of the high-profile publications, graphics, billboards and displays that originate from the PAG offices.
Originally from Maine, Philip attended the University of Maine, and the School of Visual Arts in NYC where he honed his graphic design skills. His professional design career began managing a graphic arts darkroom for a copy shop in Portland, Maine, as well as creating advertising and point-of-purchase displays for Bicknell Photo in Scarborough. From there, he worked for various advertising firms and was Advertising Production Manager for Seafood Business and National Fisherman, two commercial publications in Rockland, Maine. From 1995-2001, he managed a design team which created award winning graphics and publications for Creative Communications, a department of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
EDG Fuels will open its Biodiesel Manufacturing and Refining Facility in Tucson this month at 8969 S. Eisenhower Road.
The facility will create approximately 19 “green jobs” and will be fully automated within the first year, operating 24-7.
EDG Fuels collects used cooking oil from Tucson-area based businesses through its Enjoy Dining Green program as well as collects used cooking oil from other businesses around the country.
Production levels are expected to reach 3 million gallons of biodiesel fuel in the first year with a potential to expand to a 6 million gallon capacity.
Enjoy Dining Green is a coalition of concerned and environmentally conscious people and restaurants that offers free collection containers, free collection service and recognition as a Green Contributor on the Enjoy Dining Green Web site. For more information, contact Vivian Sampson at (520) 790-3341 or visit www.enjoydininggreen.com.
EDG Fuels and Enjoy Dining Green are part of the EDG network which also includes Environmental Development Group (EDG). More information is available at www.edgroup.us
PAG will present the second Tucson Region Indicators Report to the Regional Council in March. This report provides a snapshot of the region with data on key measures that characterize its current health from an environmental and community perspective.
 Five theme areas are: Natural Resources, Air Quality, Water, Transportation and Energy, and Community and Economy. They represent the essence of the community and its influence on the land and our environment.
This report builds on data from the initial report and provides trends for key indicators, with the addition of a few new indicators. Buffelgrass is featured for the first time as we monitor data to track expanding regional progress to control this invasive plant.
Positive indicators include trends showing reduced reliance on groundwater; use of more reclaimed water for irrigation; increased use of alternative fuels and vehicles; higher transit ridership; increased use of solar energy and investments in green buildings, and a rising number of high school graduates.
It will be important for us to consistently monitor the health of our community and environment in these key areas, as our region grows and we focus on sustainability and making better choices to influence the Tucson region's future. This report will be available on the PAG Web site soon at www.PAGnet.org.
 No small plans will do when developing 30 years worth of transportation improvements for our region.
PAG is nearing the final stages of developing the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which will include extensive information, project lists and strategies for the region’s transportation future. The 2040 RTP is a blueprint for transportation solutions through the year 2040.
Pima Association of Governments updates the RTP every four years. As a multi-jurisdiction region, we look ahead to identify efficient and affordable improvements to our transportation system so that we can build communities where we, and future generations, will want to live.
Through the RTP planning process, transportation stakeholders, jurisdictions and the public identified transportation needs of nearly $30 billion over the next 30 years. The long-range plan must be fiscally constrained and with nearly $18 billion in projected revenues, not all needs can be included in the plan. The $18 billion assumes an extension of the Regional Transportation Authority half-cent excise tax, which funds the 20-year $2.1 billion RTA plan. The tax currently will be collected through
FY 2026.
PAG also manages the short-range Transportation Improvement Program, which is updated every year and implemented over 5 years. The RTA plan is another long-range plan managed by PAG.
Potential funding for projects in the RTP is identified now and as projects from the RTP move up into the five-year TIP cycle, current funding sources are matched to the project.
Transportation needs far outweigh the region’s financial ability to meet them. Declining gas tax collections due to more energy-efficient vehicles, declining highway user revenue funds and dwindling buying power with existing funds create severe challenges in identifying sufficient future transportation funding sources.
The 2040 RTP is more than a list of transportation projects and programs. It includes a vision for what the regional transportation system will look like in 30 years, along with goals and implementation strategies to help realize the transportation future we envision for ourselves.
The 2040 RTP recognizes the importance of improving all modes of travel within the region and includes improvement for vehicular, transit, bicycle, pedestrian and aviation travel. The 2040 RTP Implementation Strategies are action steps that can be taken by the eight jurisdictions in the region, PAG or the entire community to bring the concepts in the 2040 RTP to reality.
To view a complete list of projects to be included in the plan or to comment, please visit www.PAGnet.org
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved two revisions to the Arizona State Implementation Plan (SIP): the 2008 Revision to the CO Limited Maintenance Plan (LMP) submitted in July 2008, and a statutory provision, submitted in June 2009, that extends the life of the state’s vehicle emissions inspection program through the end of 2016.
The effect of this action continues commitments related to the maintenance of the CO standard in the Tucson Air Planning Area for 10 years, effective Jan. 20, 2010.
Soon after President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Arizona was given very tight deadlines to “obligate” the funds associated with the act. Prior to the March 2 deadline Arizona successfully “obligated” all of its ARRA funds, including approximately $98.8 million for state and local federal aid network projects in the PAG region.
To “obligate” funds for a project means that the project plans must be completed, including any required environmental, utility and right-of-way clearances. Only after a project has funds “obligated” for it, can it be put out to bid.
A majority of the projects were pavement preservation projects but also included system upgrades such as ADOT’s Interstate 10: Marsh Station Traffic Interchange reconstruction and the State Route 86 (Ajo Way) - Mile Post 141 to Reservation Boundary widening. The pavement preservation projects are in very early stages of implementation but bids should be received on most projects by spring and work should start soon after. After all the projects are under way, the region will compare the estimates to actual bid amounts and develop new projects to spend any bid savings if costs come in under the original estimates.
 Pima Association of Governments, Central Arizona Association of Governments and Maricopa Association of Governments jointly signed a historic resolution of planning coordination on Dec. 17, 2009. The resolution signifies their desire to work together in a collaborative process to plan for growth in the megapolitan area known as the Sun Corridor.
A week prior, the PAG Regional Council adopted the joint resolution during its regular meeting, giving the go-ahead to then Chair Mayor Lynne Skelton to sign the joint resolution on behalf of our region.
During the Dec. 17 meeting of the three regions, Mayor Skelton expressed that “we are confident this agreement will result in the Sun Corridor enhancing its economic position by providing the transportation connections and distribution centers that
will serve as a competitive and attractive market for global trade.”
Staff from the regions are meeting again March 9 at the Gila River Indian Community to share information on freight/goods movement and related transportation studies underway in their respective areas.
The all-electric Nissan LEAF stopped in Tucson on Dec. 30 as part of its 22-city Zero Emission Tour.
An invitation-only event at the Pennington Street Garage and a public event held in the parking lot of Maloney’s, at 213 N. 4th Ave., drew more than 300 people.
Tucson Clean Cities, a program of Pima Association of Governments, hosted the event and co-sponsored it with Tucson Electric Power Co. and Nissan North America.
Speakers included Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Tucson City Councilmember Karin Uhlich, Ward 3, David Hutchens, Tucson Electric Power Co. Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Resource Planning, and Tracy Woodard, Nissan North America Director of Government Affairs.
The LEAF is expected to enter the Tucson market in late 2010. Nissan North America and Pima Association of Governments, with its Clean Cities program, signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2009. Through the partnership, the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition will assist with the development of electric-vehicle infrastructure in the Tucson region in advance of deployment of the LEAF in 2010, particularly for commercial fleets.
The Tucson/Phoenix market is one of only a small group of select markets along with select cities in California, Oregon, Washington and Tennessee to be part of the early roll out of the vehicle. While commercial availability of the LEAF will start in December 2010, the company expects wide availability of the vehicle by spring 2011, making the LEAF the first mass-produced electric vehicle in history.
The LEAF is a 5-passenger, 5-door sedan with a speed of up to 90 mph. The car, when fully charged, has a range of 100 miles, and is ideal for people who drive less than 100 miles per day and have a secondary vehicle for out-oftown driving.
Electric transportation innovators, ECOtality of Scottsdale, through a $99 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, are now planning for implementation of EV infrastructure in the cities initially receiving the LEAF. As part of the D.O.E. grant, Nissan also will play a role in providing initial LEAF owners in launch markets a home EV charging station, including installation, allowing easy overnight charging.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Regional Outlook March 2010
|
|