Road Runner by Andrea Kelly : Out-of-place mile marker part of state 'study' route

We all know mile markers are usually found only on state roads or interstate highways, so Pat Keegan wrote to ask about one found on East Tangerine Road, between North Oracle Road and North First Avenue.

"On Tangerine Road between Oracle and First Avenue in Oro Valley, there is a Mile 35 sign on the north side of the road when you are heading west. I'm curious as to what this sign is 35 miles from. Since there are no other mile markers anywhere I've seen along the full distance of Tangerine, this is really a mystery to me," Keegan wrote.

"I would very much appreciate knowing its purpose," she said.

The question piqued my curiosity, too, especially since this Road Runner has driven that part of Tangerine and never even noticed the sign.

Because the sign is in Oro Valley, that's who gets to answer the question, although it turns out it's not just an Oro Valley answer.

The sign is an Arizona Department of Transportation marker, said Mary Davis, spokeswoman for the town of Oro Valley.

"This portion of Tangerine Road, from Oracle Road to 900 feet west of First Avenue, is an ADOT highway," Davis said.

The road, known as SR 989, is a "study highway" that may be used in future years for a loop freeway from Oracle to Sandario Road, Interstate 19 and Interstate 10, Davis said.

"I would venture to guess that ADOT has the milepost markers starting on this future highway at the other end, the beginning," Davis said.

A spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Transportation confirmed that about 1 1/2 miles of Tangerine is part of the state road system.

Road Q

Question: "Why won't the city add the extra left-turn lane that's available on northbound Wilmot at Broadway? Traffic backs up for two blocks at times, and there is space available for an extra turn lane, but my requests for an answer from the city … have gone unanswered," Tucsonan Rich Shelton wrote.

Answer: "While there is space for an additional lane, there is a sight visibility issue," said Michael Graham, spokesman for the Tucson Department of Transportation.

"The outside turn lane cannot see oncoming traffic. There is not enough available space in the intersection to allow for opposing dual left-turn vehicles to queue up in the intersection," Graham said.