The City Council will be asked tonight to approve a new alignment for East 22nd Street between South Tucson Boulevard and South Kino Parkway, shifting the road about a half block to the north.
The plans, which include a new overpass over Barraza-Aviation Parkway and Union Pacific railroad tracks and a new underpass beneath Kino Parkway, will be the focus of a pair of public hearings today before the council takes action.
The bridge, underpass and realignment are part of a planned $108 million project to widen East 22nd Street from four to six lanes from Interstate 10 to Tucson Boulevard.
The realignment would allow the city to replace the existing bridge over the parkway and railroad tracks without having to all but shut down traffic on that stretch of 22nd Street during construction. The current bridge, built 42 years ago, is crumbling from age and overuse, and has weight restrictions that prevent many larger trucks and school buses from using it.
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City consultants and a citizens' advisory committee support the realignment because it would allow construction of the north side of the new bridge while traffic continues to use the existing bridge. Once that's done, they would be able to put four lanes of traffic on the new structure while the old bridge is demolished and two additional lanes are built.
Councilwoman Nina Trasoff said keeping traffic on the existing bridge would be a wise step because it would minimize traffic disruption.
Trasoff said she supports the plan in concept but said she wants to be sure the council is approving only the alignment concept tonight because she wants to see some of the roadway's dimensions changed.
She wants smaller traffic lanes, larger bike lanes and sidewalks, and less disruption for neighborhoods.
"I don't want a freeway," Trasoff said. "I would not be comfortable with having 22nd be a crosstown freeway. That would separate the South Side from the rest of the city. ... I want to make sure we're doing right by the neighborhoods."
The plan would require buying 20 properties along the north side of 22nd Street between South Plumer and Tucson Boulevard, including several large warehouses, as well as 17 smaller properties along the south side of the street.
Transportation Director Jim Glock said some of those parcels are private property that the city will have to figure out how to buy.
The consultants and committee rejected keeping the current alignment because it would require reducing 22nd Street traffic to a single lane across the existing bridge for two years or more during construction.
Realigning the road to the south of the existing route would encroach on the railroad yard, significantly increasing the cost.
At four lanes, 22nd Street has a functional capacity of up to 35,000 trips a day. But it now carries about 38,000 trips a day west of Kino Parkway and 41,000 trips a day to the east of the parkway. Construction on the road-widening is expected to start in 2012.
The council will also consider giving the go-ahead for a new grade-separated interchange at Kino Parkway and 22nd Street, with 22nd traveling underneath Kino Parkway. The new interchange would be a single-point interchange, where the on/off ramps come to a single light, rather than two separate lights.
The interchange would be similar in layout to the existing Kino Parkway-Aviation Parkway interchange, where one traffic light services all the ramps for both roads.
It would require the acquisition of about 21 properties surrounding the intersection.
Most of the $108 million for the widening would come from the Regional Transportation Authority's half-cent-per-dollar sales taxes, with the city picking up a $3 million share. The Kino interchange is expected to cost $25 million. City officials were unable to provide a breakdown of what the other segments would cost.
If you go
Tonight's hearings will be at the City Council meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda St.
