Finding the transportation funds we need

A popular topic of conversation today besides the weather is how to fund or maintain our local transportation infrastructure. Where do we find the funds to not only deal with existing concerns but also to fund our long-term roadway maintenance and expansion needs?
While exploring and determining alternative funding sources for future needs is a given, Pima Association of Governments believes one existing source should be more accessible to address our region’s current needs, particularly for roadway maintenance.

The source is the state’s Highway Users Revenue Fund, or HURF. Typically, cities, towns and regions use their respective HURF shares to build new or widen existing roadways, pay debt service on transportation bonds and perform roadway maintenance. For several years, though, the Arizona State Legislature has “raided the HURF” by diverting or transferring funds to balance the state budget.

These actions have had negative impacts on our transportation system:

• Because HURF is used by local jurisdictions to maintain and operate existing infrastructure, loss of HURF revenues often causes maintenance to be postponed. When deferred maintenance is finally done, it is often exponentially, rather than proportionally, more expensive.

• Transportation projects, on the whole, are expensive. To fully fund a project, HURF revenues need to either be saved or borrowed against, as bonding, to make the project happen. Loss of expected HURF revenues often delays projects or strains jurisdictional finances when HURF incomes aren’t sufficient for bond payments. Borrowing costs also are negatively impacted by diversions. In September 2011, for example, Moody’s cited the diversions when they downgraded the rating on the Arizona Transportation Board’s Highway Revenue Bonds.

• Poor road conditions increase costs that individuals have to pay to maintain their vehicles for tires, shocks, struts, alignments, steering and more.

• Transportation is the lifeblood of commerce and economic development. Poor roads impact flow of commerce.

So what can you do about it? An initial first step is to let local and state elected officials know that good roads and alternative transportation choices are important to you. A new bill was introduced in the 2012 Arizona legislative session that seeks to quantify the HURF dollars that have been reallocated, diverted or transferred and seeks to provide a basis for fair distribution or reimbursement when the Legislature feels that a sufficient surplus exists.

Once we have fixed our existing funding mechanism, we can look at the long-term goal of how to make transportation funding more sustainable and efficient. PAG, for example, supports raising the gas tax 5 percent, from 18 cents per gallon to 23 cents per gallon with an annual inflationary adjustment over the next five years.

Even as we recognize the current variety of funding sources we have available, such as the ½-cent sales tax for Regional Transportation Authority projects, or other local, state or federal resources, we still fall short of our long-term transportation needs by
$14 billion over the next 30 years. Getting our HURF dollars back will help, but identifying new revenue sources is the new road we need to explore together.

Regional Council Member Profile

Professional background: Born and raised in Tucson, Mayor Rothschild is a native Tucsonan. His grandmother came to Tucson in 1942 and opened Valley Fair, a used furniture store on South 6th Avenue. His father attended Tucson High School and the University of Arizona.

A graduate of Canyon del Oro High School, Kenyon College and the University of New Mexico Law School, the Mayor served as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Alfredo Marquez. He then joined the law firm of Mesch, Clark & Rothschild, where he served as managing partner from 2001 to 2011. In addition to his own law practice helping businesses and individuals, Mayor Rothschild was responsible for the day-to-day management of a 21-attorney firm.

Prior to taking office, the Mayor had a long history of extensive service with local nonprofits, serving as Board President of Casa de los Niños, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, and Temple Emanu-El.

Mayor Rothschild also has served on the Boards of the Tucson Medical Center Foundation, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Friends of the University Libraries, University of Arizona and the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. He was a member of the Tucson Parks & Recreation Commission and Chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

What’s your No. 1 priority in your current role? “I’m focused on implementing my 180 Day Plan, which highlights jobs and economic development; safe and vital neighborhoods; open, accountable government and environmental leadership. Beyond that I’ll be focusing on workforce development, customer service and management in city government, addressing long-term funding challenges and establishing public-private partnerships to help fund essential services.”

What do you see as the most important regional issue? The success of the region is inextricably linked with the success of the City of Tucson, as the largest city in southern Arizona. Overall, annexation and incorporation are needed to correct the current imbalance in how the state shares revenues. As things now stand, Maricopa County gets a bigger share of state revenues because it is much more heavily incorporated than Pima County. We need to correct that.

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 2012 draws nearly 900 volunteers

Nearly 900 people joined in to help remove buffelgrass at 22 sites around the Tucson basin on Jan. 28 during Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 2012. This is nearly 40 percent more participation than the previous year.

This year over 1,700 bags of buffelgrass were removed. Once again, the University of Arizona Softball Team, Coach Mike Candrea and many of their fellow athletes in other sports on campus participated by pulling buffelgrass and by creating a public service announcement.
Buffelgrass removal sites were run by municipalities (Tucson, Pima County, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and Green Valley), federal land managers (Tucson International Airport, Saguaro National Park and the Bureau of Land Management), and parks (Colossal Cave and Sabino Canyon). Community organizations and businesses such as Tucson Audubon, Tucson Clean and Beautiful, The Porsche Club, The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Coati Kids Club, as well as neighborhood and homeowners associations pitched in and ran their own sites.
Each year, at the end of January, the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center (SABCC) spearheads this region-wide buffelgrass pull in order to raise awareness about the issue.

Pima Association of Governments actively contributes by volunteering, serving on the SABCC Executive Board and funding the 2011 risk assessment mapping project. Pictures and a complete report are available on the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center’s website at www.buffelgrass.org.

Officials dedicate Wild Burro Trailhead

SA commitment to recreational opportunities and strong community partnerships made the Wild Burro Trailhead at the Tortolita Mountains site in Marana a reality.

Marana Councilmember Carol McGorray, Marana Parks and Recreation Director Tom Ellis, Pima County Supervisor Ann Day and Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath spoke during a Feb. 11 dedication, which was attended by around 50 people. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the MOVE Across 2 Ranges endurance hiking event that Marana and Oro Valley hosted for the first time.

“The Wild Burro Trailhead offers residents and visitors access to this special place and the opportunity to experience the wonders of the Sonoran Desert,” Ellis said. “The southwest face of the Tortolita Mountains is one of the many places that make Marana unique.”

Funds for the trailhead and trails were provided by the Pima County Bond Fund through special election. Cottonwood Properties, the developer of Dove Mountain, dedicated the two-acre property and trail easement to Marana. The trailhead and trails are located on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, which partnered with Marana on the project. Guests at the hotel often use the trails.

For maps and additional trail information, visit http://www.marana.com/index.aspx?NID=785.

PAG, Tucson help activate Keeling neighborhood

Keeling On The Move, the first neighborhood marketing pilot study in Tucson, held its kick-off event on Feb. 11. Hundreds of area residents came out for a neighborhood street party, which was held on the new Fontana Avenue bike boulevard. Participants enjoyed local musical entertainment, food, bike activities for the kids, books from the Pima County book bike, bike repairs by BICAS, and bus passes and trip planning from Sun Tran. Everything was free for all the attendees.

The goal of Keeling On The Move is to increase awareness and the use of more active modes of transportation such as biking, walking and riding the bus. Incentives are offered to get residents to register for the program, but only if they are interested in using alternative modes of transportation more often. Registrants are then invited to various activities where they can learn how and where to bike and walk safely in the neighborhood. Keeling On The Move was developed after reviewing similar programs in Portland, Ore., and Waterloo, Canada. PAG’s Travel Demand Management group is managing the project, but it is a team effort including the City of Tucson, Pima County, Living Streets Alliance, Sun Tran and the Keeling Neighborhood Association.

At the end of the pilot study, registrants will be surveyed to determine if their travel behavior has changed during the five months of the pilot study.
For project information, visit www.KeelingOnTheMove.com.

What’s next for Imagine Greater Tucson?

Imagine Greater Tucson (IGT) recently completed the “Trade-offs and Choices” portion of its regional visioning process. This phase consisted of asking people to choose from among four alternative futures and to answer several additional questions about how our region should grow. In total, IGT received over 6,000 survey responses.

Now that all the surveys have been received, IGT will spend the next month analyzing the responses in order to develop a hybrid alternative, or a preferred future scenario for our region. The hybrid will likely include elements of each of the four alternatives to reflect the variety of responses that were received. The preferred future will then serve as a major component of a shared vision for the Greater Tucson Region. The vision, to be released in summer 2012, will communicate a desired future for eastern Pima County as expressed by the region’s residents. For more information, visit www.ImagineGreaterTucson.org.

Open houses offer chance to review, comment on proposed transportation improvements

Residents, businesses and the general public will have the opportunity at three upcoming open houses to share their thoughts about proposed transportation improvements in the region over the next five years.

Starting March 20, Pima Association of Governments will host the open houses for public review and comment on the proposed regional transportation improvements that start construction or design in the next five-year period. The value of the improvements identified within the FY 2013-2017 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is approximately $1.1 billion.

The proposed transportation improvements are part of PAG’s federally mandated capital improvement program. A subcommittee made up of PAG’s jurisdictional members updates the TIP annually.

The TIP identifies priorities for national, state and local roadways, transit or bus services; aviation, bike and pedestrian facilities as well as programs such as ride sharing, VanPool and Safe-Routes-to-School. The TIP document provides a general description of the projects, available funding sources, the agency implementing each project, and a general project schedule.

The TIP includes 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 through 2026.

The TIP is scheduled to be presented to PAG’s Regional Council for final approval at its May 24 meeting, which will be held in the 5th floor conference room at 177 N. Church Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

For more information about the TIP, you may call David Ruelas, PAG’s TIP Coordinator, at 792-1093.

The TIP open houses are scheduled as follows:

• March 20 (Tuesday): 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Anamax Park, Multi-Purpose Room,
  17501 S. Camino de las Quintas, Sahuarita

• March 21 (Wednesday): 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Randolph Clubhouse – Copper Room,
  600 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson

• March 22 (Thursday): 5 to 7 p.m., Community Meeting Room, Wheeler Taft Abbott Library Branch, Southeast corner of Silverbell and Cortaro roads,
  7800 N. Schisler Drive, Tucson

Sun Rideshare’s Commuter Contest is back

AThe second Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest began on Jan. 1. The first year-long contest, which ended 14 months ago, was a success and popular among commuters with 115,270 alternative mode trips recorded. This resulted in the elimination of close to 1 million pounds of greenhouse gases.

The objectives of the 2012 contest are to get more people using alternative transportation and for current users to use alternative modes more often. Incentive programs have proven to be one of the most successful ways of getting solo drivers to change the way they commute to work.

Each month the prizes and rules change, so everyone will have a chance to play and win. The promotion is running for a year to reinforce the use of alternative modes of transportation over a long time period, keep the community engaged with different ways to play and win, and support other local events like Cyclovia, Bike Fest, Car Free Tucson and Earth Day.
In the first month of the contest, 148 new commuters were added to the database and 300 commuters recorded their commutes.

Commuters who become a fan of Sun Rideshare on Facebook will get a sneak preview of the new contest each month. Everyone else must wait until the first of the month to see the new rules and the prizes at www.884ride.org.

Arizona Baseball home games

Feature EV Zone, Chevy Volt

While you take in a University of Arizona Baseball game on a Sunday afternoon, be sure to stop at the EV Zone hosted by Tucson Clean Cities, a program of PAG.

The EV Zone includes information about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, including displays of the Chevy Volt and an Eaton Corp. charging station. The kick off was on Feb. 19, the first Sunday home game at Hi Corbett Field.

The EV Zone is located in the south breezeway next to the stadium entrance. An in-game promotion will feature giveaways from the Tucson Clean Cities program. Be sure to sign up at Hi Corbett Field before the game begins to participate.

You can check out the EV Zone at the remaining Sunday home games on March 11, March 18, April 1, April 15, April 29, May 6 and May 27. Ticket information is available at (520) 621-CATS or www.arizonawildcats.com.

It’s time for the races, electric vehicle races that is

If you don’t believe that electric vehicles can stack up against other alternative or standard fuel vehicles at the races, the Bookmans’ Electric Vehicle Drag Racing event on April 14 could be the ticket to changing your mind.

The drag races, which begin at noon, are co-sponsored by Tucson Clean Cities, a program of PAG, as well as the National Electric Drag Racing Association, Merle’s Southwestern International Raceway and Budweiser.

Gates open at 10 a.m. at the raceway, 12000 S. Houghton Road, at the Pima County Fair complex. Cost is $5 per person. Children 10 and under are free. A Green Pavilion will include several booths, featuring information about electric and alternative vehicles, and food and refreshments.

For racing information, visit http://sirace.com.

PAG region seeks platinum rating from League of American Bicyclists

In February, PAG submitted a Bicycle Friendly Community application on behalf of the region to the League of American Bicyclists. The region was re-designated a gold community in 2008 but this time is hoping for a platinum rating, the highest given.

The 2012 application highlights the significant increase in ridership, expansion of programs for educating children and underserved populations about bicycling, expanded singletrack trails, stricter bike parking regulations, additional community celebrations such as Cyclovia Tucson and new advocacy organizations such as Living Streets Alliance. PAG will find out in early May what rating the League will designate for our region.

Transportation Enhancement process under way 

The 2012 Transportation Enhancement process is kicking off with pre-applications due to PAG in early March. Transportation Enhancements are funded through a federal grant program, which is administered by the Arizona Department of Transportation. PAG has a regional review process that reviews and ranks applications to make them more competitive at the state level. Enhancements have funded many great projects in the region including the Snake and Basket Bridge designs, Gates Pass overlook and many streetscape projects.

Early investors, streetcar project help advance downtown development

Private investment downtown has continued to accelerate in the past 14 months with over 40 projects big and small adding up to $70.5 million, according to the Downtown Tucson Partnership.

That’s in addition to the $120 million in private investment in the 30 months leading up to October 2010, when the Downtown Tucson Partnership did a comprehensive survey of all businesses that committed to Downtown since 2008. That sum included the new, $60 million UniSource Energy headquarters.

The Downtown Tucson Partnership conducted a new survey in February 2012 that revealed a private sector commitment of $65.5 million in pending, permit-ready housing and mixed-use housing projects. Mixed-use projects include three student housing projects at the east edge of Downtown, and a proposed market-rate apartment/office complex at Stone and Broadway. Housing-only projects include the rehab of the old Armory Park Apartments, the upgrade of the Tiburon Apartments, and the New Armory Park Apartments now taking shape on West Congress Street.

“We’re not surprised to find out the level of investment continues to be strong,” said Michael Keith, chief executive of the Downtown Tucson Partnership. “A lot of this investment is the direct response to the imminent arrival of the streetcar line and the success of previous investments. Even more exciting, in the next 12 months, eight more businesses are being considered, including two additional housing projects.”

Commercial investment in the past 18 months amounted to $5 million for 35 new shops. Over 169,000 square feet of retail, office, and school has been created or absorbed during this period. Office and schools include Sonoran Institute FORS Architecture, and Imago Dei Middle School.

Retail newcomers in this period in the downtown area include Buffalo Exchange, Ben’s Bells, Playground, Sparkroot, V Fine Thai Dining, Lesco Optique, Sacred Machine, Brewd, Eat-a-Burger, Space Smoke Shop, Atlas Art Services, and most recently, Revolutio..

Modern Streetcar tracks on route to installation

In mid-March, the Tucson Modern Streetcar project, co-managed by the Regional Transportation Authority and the City of Tucson, will move forward with construction of the tracks, overheard electrical power system and streetcar stops. Old Pueblo Trackworks, a joint venture between Granite Construction Co. and Railways Track Systems, will lead the construction efforts and is expected to complete construction along the 3.9-mile route by June 2013.

“As construction gets under way, it’s important for the community to support all of our businesses along the route during the next year,” said Britton Dornquast, MainStreet business assistance program manager. “We have been out working with businesses along the route to help them prepare for the construction activity, which already is under way with drainage work. Our free business consulting services, which are funded by the RTA, are available to businesses along the route anytime during the construction. We are prepared to help businesses get to the other side of the project and be ready for the new business activity we expect to occur when the streetcar service comes online.”

Sun Shuttle sees significant ridership, expands dial-a-ride service in Oro Valley

Sun Shuttle, a neighborhood transit service managed by the Regional Transportation Authority, continues to see significant ridership increases in its third year of service.
During its first year, Sun Shuttle provided 120,000 passenger trips. This year, passenger trips are projected to top 240,000.
All of the routes in the shuttle system provide easy and convenient neighborhood access to shopping, entertainment and employment centers as well as connections to Sun Tran routes or transit to access regional destinations.
The transit service was launched in May 2009 to serve Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and Green Valley, with additional routes added in the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation and portions of unincorporated Pima County in November 2009.
In February 2012, Sun Shuttle formed an innovative partnership with the Town of Oro Valley that allows the town to continue the high-quality senior and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) public transit service that was in jeopardy because of recent state budget cuts. The new service, Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride, maintains the senior service, provides more options for ADA eligible individuals and continues convenient dial-a-ride service for the general public.
To learn more about Sun Shuttle or Sun Shuttle Dial-a-Ride, contact Jeremy Papuga, RTA Transit Planning and Operations Manager, at (520) 792-1093.
 

RTA Project Status			RTA Financial Status
Jan. 31, 2012			Jan. 31, 2012 (000s)
Total Initiated Projects	548		RTA Excise Tax Collections *	$ 375,361
Projects Under Construction/Implementation	17		Funds Committed	$ 621,800
Transit Projects Implemented	78		Funds Expended	$ 352,6001
Total Number of Projects Completed	461		Fund Balance	$ 183,100
* Represents December sales   The RTA plan, approved by voters on May 16, 2006, is a 20-year, $2.1 billion multi-modal transportation plan with roadway, transit, safety and environmental and economic vitality elements.   For more information about the plan and projects, visit www.RTAmobility.com.

ADOT to widen I-10 – Ruthrauff Road to PRoad  

The Arizona Department of Transportation will close Prince Road under I-10 and the westbound I-10 Prince Road entrance and exit ramps on March 12. In the 60 days following the initial closures, additional changes to traffic flow will occur. The ramps and a short section of the eastbound frontage road will close as I-10 traffic is shifted slightly to the east side of the freeway while construction crews work on widening 1-10. The closures will remain in effect through late 2013, when the project is expected to be completed.

Access to all businesses will remain available during construction. Runway Drive will be closed from Prince Road to Weymouth Drive for approximately 45 days beginning March 12, as crews work to complete utility relocations. Prince Road east of I-10 will remain open throughout the duration of the project, although there will be no access to I-10 or the westbound frontage road from Prince Road. The Ruthrauff Road traffic interchange will be closed for the weekend of March 9-11 while crews repave the area. I-10 will remain open with three lanes in each direction during construction, including emergency access lanes, with only minimal short-term lane closres along I-10 will remain open with three lanes in each direction during construction, including emergency access lanes, with only minimal short-term lane closures along I-10 in the project area when necessary.

When construction is completed, I-10 will feature four lanes in each direction and Prince Road will pass over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and I-10. The community and local jurisdictions have shown overwhelming support for the results of the project—smoother traffic flow, easier access to businesses and no delays for motorists due to passing trains.
To assist businesses and motorists during construction, ADOT has established a toll-free hotline number: 1-855-712-8530. ADOT has also developed a business outreach program and is working in conjunction with the Regional Transportation Authority’s MainStreet Business Assistance program. Additionally, construction information is posted to the project website at www.azdot.gov/tucson10widening, and traffic alerts with specific construction impacts are being sent on a regular basis to those who have subscribed to receive information. Anyone who wishes to receive traffic alerts may visit www.azdot.gov/tucson10widening to sign up.

To receive additional project information, or if you have any questions about construction, you may contact ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer Linda Ritter at (520) 388-4266 or lritter@azdot.gov, or ADOT Community Relations Officer Paki Rico at (520) 388-4233 or prico@azdot.gov.