Bicyclists fear they could soon be paying in road rash for a modern streetcar expense city officials say they can't afford.
City transportation planners had been considering using a block-type track that leaves a relatively narrow gap between the rail and the street.
The narrower the gap, the less likely a bicycle wheel could get stuck and send a rider tumbling, possibly into the path of fellow commuters with far larger vehicles.
But it turns out the upgraded rails would add about $3.5 million to the cost of the track. This, at a time when Tucson and the RTA are hard-pressed to cover a remaining funding gap and when federal dollars are harder to get.
Planners have decided they'll use T-rails, which they've already used for the renovated Fourth Avenue underpass.
But it's not just about money.
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Transportation Director Jim Glock outlined a series of technical problems at a meeting of the Pima Association of Governments this week.
The segments of block rail are shorter, he said, requiring more welds. Yes, that's a cost issue, but those areas are also considered weaker points. And there'd be more of them, possibly jacking up maintenance costs over the years.
Worse, they're about as available as doughnuts at a Weight Watchers convention.
There are no domestic manufacturers of the block rail, which means the city runs up against a mandate that goes with the federal funding to buy American.
There also aren't experienced U.S. installers, leading to increased uncertainty.
With the city fighting the image that the only thing it can do effectively downtown is waste money - and with a much ballyhooed goal of getting the streetcar up and running by 2013 - the last thing planners want is to become a test case.
Glock said that although block rail's gap is 1.7 inches, he said the specs for the underpass, using the T-rail, called for a gap of 1.5 inches. He said he hadn't gone out with a ruler to measure it, but said he believes the gaps will be fairly comparable. Still, he is looking into ways to narrow the T-rail gap if need be, possibly by changing the way installers form the concrete, which forms one side of the track.
Glock said he's committed to continuing to work with the cycling community to continue exploring ways to improve safety downtown.
Mayor Bob Walkup, who doesn't want his legacy mucked up with more bad headlines for a project he's invested much political capital in, said he supports the move, adding he's pleased the staff has zeroed in on a project with a proven track record, with clear availability, and with a lower cost.
Road Runner addresses road-related issues in this column on Mondays. Send your Road Q questions via email to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to 4850 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85714. Please include your first and last names.
