The contractor is currently constructing the underpass beneath the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) west of Stone Avenue.

The shoring operation is complete and UPRR trains have been shifted to the temporary shoefly where they will remain while the contractor begins excavation for the first half of the underpass.

All 48 of the drilled shafts for the underpass have been completed and the contractor is installing the UPRR longline fiber beneath the underpass structure. Once the longline fiber installation is complete, the contractor will begin constructing the underpass bridge abutments.

 

The east half of the project, from Stone Avenue to Broadway Boulevard, is nearly complete, and will open for vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian use by mid-January 2023. Work completed along this portion of the Downtown Links Project include:

  • Intersection improvements at Broadway Boulevard/Maclovio Barraza Parkway
  • Multi-Use-Path (MUP) along the entire eastside of Maclovio Barraza Parkway alignment
  • MUP connection at Stevens Plaza Park near the Fourth Avenue underpass
  • Bridge installed over Sixth Avenue
  • Seventh Street/Seventh Avenue HAWK for safe bicycle/pedestrian roadway and UPRR crossing
  • New intersection at Sixth Street/Maclovio Barraza Parkway
  • Drainage improvements
  • Sewer Improvements
  • Waterline improvements
  • Paving
  • Landscaping
  • Lighting

The last, and most complicated section, of the entire Downtown Links Project – from Stone Avenue to Church Avenue – is currently under construction. It includes key features such as the realignment of Sixth Street, an underpass beneath the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), a Deck Plaza crossing above the new alignment of Sixth Street (at Ninth Avenue) and a new pedestrian bridge crossing above Stone Avenue, north of the existing railroad underpass.

Weather, material allocation/supply, and coordination with the UPRR have all factored in the completion date of the project which is currently scheduled for summer 2024.

Following is a summarized version of work that must be completed before opening the final section of Downtown Links, Sixth Street, between Stone and Church avenues:

  • Complete the box culvert construction and other drainage improvements
  • Complete the temporary structure (shoring operation) that will function as the support for the UPRR while the contractor excavates beneath the existing railroad.
  • Build the temporary UPRR tracks (shoofly)
  • Build the Ninth Avenue bridge and deck plaza
  • Build the Ninth Avenue HAWK for safe bicycle/pedestrian UPRR crossing
  • Build the retaining walls that allow for construction of the lowered Sixth Street
  • Create the new signalized intersection at Church Avenue and Sixth Street
  • Complete lighting and landscaping

 

On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, Stone Avenue at Sixth Street, including the Stone Avenue underpass, is scheduled to reopen to all northbound and southbound travel by 5 p.m. The traveling public will use the new intersection configuration at Sixth Street, which will also allow motorists traveling northbound on Stone Avenue to proceed eastbound onto Sixth Street (see map).

Sixth Street remains closed to through travel just west of Stone Avenue, while crews continue work at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to construct a new underpass. Motorists traveling eastbound on Sixth Street west of Stone Avenue will continue to use the Church Avenue detour to bypass this closure.

The Regional Transportation Authority, a political subdivision of the state and independently governed, has invested more than $1.2 billion in transportation projects and services to improve mobility, safety, economic vitality and quality of life in the region. The RTA collects a half-cent excise (sales) tax from its special taxing district within Pima County to fund its 20-year regional transportation plan. The plan and tax were approved by voters in May 2006. The Downtown Links Improvement Project is part of the RTA plan and is managed by the City of Tucson. For more information, visit www.RTAmobility.com


El miércoles 14 de septiembre de 2022, Stone Avenue en 6th Street, incluido el paso subterráneo de Stone Avenue, está programado para reabrir todos los viajes hacia el norte y hacia el sur a las 5 p.m. El público viajero utilizará la nueva configuración de intersección en 6th Street, que también permitirá a los automovilistas que viajan hacia el norte por Stone Avenue continuar hacia el este hacia 6th Street (ver mapa).

6th Street permanece cerrada al tráfico justo al oeste de Stone Avenue, mientras que las cuadrillas continúan trabajando en las vías del Ferrocarril Union Pacific para construir un nuevo paso subterráneo. Los automovilistas que viajen hacia el este por 6th Street al oeste de Stone Avenue continuarán usando el desvío de Church Avenue para evitar este cierre.

La Autoridad de Transporte Regional (RTA) una subdivisión política del estado y gobernada de forma independiente, ha invertido más de $1,200 millones en proyectos y servicios de transporte para mejorar la movilidad, la seguridad, la vitalidad económica y la calidad de vida en la región. La RTA recauda un impuesto especial (sobre las ventas) de medio centavo de su distrito fiscal dentro del condado de Pima para financiar su plan de transporte regional de 20 años. El plan y el impuesto fueron aprobados por los votantes en mayo de 2006. El Proyecto de Mejoramiento de Downtown Links es parte del plan RTA y es administrado por la Ciudad de Tucson. Para más información visite:  www.RTAmobility.com

 

Downtown Links Constructors (DLC), under contract with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) are working on the Downtown Links project, which began in August 2020.

Motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians should anticipate intermittent lane restrictions throughout the limits of the project in addition to the following upcoming work:

In the early morning hours of Friday, June 3, the contractor will pour the first concrete abutment structure for the Ninth Avenue Deck Plaza.

  • There will be concrete trucks entering and exiting the work area, a large pump truck or boom – used to transfer the freshly mixed liquid concrete to the location it is needed, and several light plants.
  • Concrete pumping is scheduled to begin around 1:30 a.m., however, crews will be on site several hours prior to complete preparations ahead of the concrete pour.
  • The concrete pour for the abutment structure is expected to be complete by 6:30 a.m. Friday morning.
  • Work will take place on the west side of Stone Avenue, north of Sixth Street.
  • This work will not impact traffic.

The abutments are the structures that will support the span of the Ninth Avenue Deck Plaza, where it will cross above the new alignment of Sixth Street.

Ultimately there will be abutments constructed on both ends of the Deck Plaza.

 

The Regional Transportation Authority, a political subdivision of the state and independently governed, has invested more than $1.4 billion in transportation projects and services to improve mobility, safety, economic vitality and quality of life in the region. The RTA collects a half-cent excise (sales) tax from its special taxing district within Pima County to fund its 20-year regional transportation plan. The plan and tax were approved by voters in May 2006. The Downtown Links project is part of the RTA plan and is managed by the City of Tucson. For more information, visit www.RTAmobility.com