RTA, City of Tucson celebrate launch of 2026 RTA Plan and Irvington Road repaving project

The Regional Transportation Authority and City of Tucson kicked off the new voter-approved RTA plan on Aug. 14 to commemorate the start of the first project of the plan. 

The event held at Pima Community College East Campus marked the inaugural project of the new RTA plan (RTA Next) and the first in the pavement rehabilitation element of the plan. Pavement rehabilitation was included as a new element in the plan and Irvington Road between Houghton and Kolb roads is the first roadway that will be fully repaved under the new RTA plan. 

The new RTA plan reflects community feedback emphasizing that, alongside building new roadways and supporting the regional transit system, repairing and maintaining existing roads is a top priority. Regional Transportation Authority funding for pavement rehabilitation is reserved for the highly traveled arterial and collector roads across the region.

Pavement reconstruction projects must have a design life that exceeds 10 years and include mandated ADA curb access ramp and other improvements. RTA jurisdictions will select the eligible roadways within their respective boundaries.

Tucson elected officials noted the Irvington Road corridor has presented challenges for many years and required ongoing maintenance when a full pavement rebuild was needed. Officials expressed appreciation to voters for investing in regional road improvements and making the project possible.

Pima County voters overwhelmingly approved the RTA plan in March. The ballot contained two questions for voter approval, Prop 418 to approve the plan and Prop 419 to approve the half-cent sales tax to fund the program for 20 years, both passed by roughly 60 percent. 

The 20-year plan includes five elements:
 

Roadway (multimodal) Corridor

Pavement rehabilitation

Transit

Safety, ADA and Active Transportation

Environmental

Funding breakdown:

$1.4 billion (+$741 million in non-RTA funding) - Roadway (Multimodal) Corridors

31 corridor improvement projects including 4 freeway interchanges, roadway lane capacity enhancements, bus pullouts, bike lanes, pedestrian facilities, drainage improvements

$257 million (+$237 million in non-RTA funding) - Roadway project modifications/completion; 7 projects from the 2006 Regional Transportation Authority plan have revised scope descriptions or funding needs that required voter approval

$254.6 million - Safety, ADA and Active Transportation

Intersection enhancement and modernization: Traffic signal technology upgrades, bikeways, sidewalks, greenways

$177.6 million - Pavement Rehabilitation

Curb-to-curb rehabilitation of regional roadway corridors

$50 million - Environmental

Wildlife linkages to reduce vehicle-animal collisions in highly traveled natural wildlife habitat areas

$726 million (+$228 million in non-RTA funding) - Transit Expansions

Expanded services: Weekend and evening bus service, increased bus frequency, paratransit/dial-a-ride, neighborhood shuttles to main bus system, express service to employment centers; high-capacity transit development, streetcar operations, safety and security of the regional transit system

Click for the 2026 RTA Plan Project list.

The new RTA plan will allow an estimated $125 million per year to be invested in regional transportation improvements, stretching the limited federal, state and local resources for regional projects.

The new plan will allow RTA funded-transit services in place for the past two decades to continue without interruption. 

An economic analysis conducted while the plan was under development estimated the RTA investment in transportation would help support 48,000 additional jobs across the region over 20 years. This includes the short-term construction jobs to build the projects and long-term sustained jobs following improvements. The overall economic benefit of the plan is estimated at $3.7 billion over 20 years. 

About the Regional Transportation Authority

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) helps fund, plan, and build transportation projects across Pima County. Voters approved a 20-year $2.67 billion regional transportation plan on March 10, 2026, along with a half-cent sales tax to fund it. This new plan will invest in roads, public transit, safety improvements, and other transportation projects to help people get around safely, reliably, and efficiently. For more information, visit RTAmobility.com.