Construction crews are beginning to install 720 feet of track for the new Sun Link streetcar system on Fourth Avenue.
Until now, the work has been mainly tearing up pavement and relocating or replacing utility lines.
This week crews are pouring the concrete slab that holds the rails on Fourth Avenue between University Boulevard and Sixth Street at a pace of 210 feet each pouring day.
Under the concrete, the rails are surrounded by a rubber boot and bolted to ties every 10 feet.
Tucson is 73 days into the 475-day construction project. Portions of Second Street, University Boulevard, Fourth Avenue, Congress Street and Broadway are under construction.
The four-mile streetcar line project is expected to cost $196.5 million. It will connect downtown Tucson, the University of Arizona, and the Main Gate and Fourth Avenue entertainment districts.
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"This summer we're doing as much as we can at U of A before students come back in August," said project manager Jesse Gutierrez.
Here's what Gutierrez said you can expect from the ongoing construction project this summer.
June
• Crews will continue pouring the track slab on Fourth Avenue.
• About three weeks from now, crews will begin the rail work on University Boulevard. Later, they'll work on Congress Street and Second Street.
• About two weeks from now, utility work will begin near Helen Street and Cherry Avenue. The Warren Avenue underpass will likely close in late June for 10 months of work that will take the rail line under Speedway.
• Also about two weeks from now, utility work will begin on Broadway near Fifth and Sixth Avenues, but two lanes of traffic should remain open on Broadway.
July
• For the month of July, Broadway will be closed between Church and Stone avenues while crews work on a sewer line, creating the need for detours.
• The Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge, which takes the tracks over the Santa Cruz River, will be open for foot traffic in early July.
• Fourth Avenue will be paved and opened by the end of July between University Boulevard and Sixth Street.
On StarNet: Find more coverage of the streetcar project at azstarnet.com/streetcar
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 573-4346.
