More than $24 million to be spent on Pima County roads in next fiscal year
Pima County plans to spend $24.1 million beginning July 1 for road repair and preservation, County Administrator Jan Lesher announced in a May 22 memo to the Board of Supervisors. Over the course of the fiscal year, which runs July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, more than 165 miles of road will receive either mill and pave repairs or preservation treatments.
“Since the beginning of this program more than 1,100 miles of Pima County roads have been treated or repaired,” said Lesher. “As a result of this work, nearly 70% of county-maintained roads are in very good condition.”
Using criteria approved by the Pima County Transportation Advisory Committee, the Pima County Department of Transportation prepared the list of roads for FY 24/25 per the previously established funding plan. The committee comprises two representatives from each of the five County supervisory districts and three members appointed by the County Administrator who have established transportation expertise.
The $24.1 million will be divided between local roads, which will receive 55% and are found in residential subdivisions, and other local areas, and arterial/collector roads, which will receive 45% and provide the highest level of mobility connecting subdivisions to the surrounding areas of the county and have higher speeds and traffic volumes. Funding for the 24/25 repairs comes from County Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF).
“Under the current Pavement Repair and Preservation Program, the Department of Transportation is consistently evaluating County roads and planning the best way forward to not only repair roads across the county but also maintain those we have already repaired,” said Kathryn Skinner, Department of Transportation director. “Striking the correct balance between a complete mill & pave or preservation treatment ensures that we are spending the allotted funds in the most efficient manner possible.”
Based on the current roadway conditions, 70% of the budget has been allocated for mill and pave repair this fiscal year, while 30% will be spent on surface preservation treatments. The mill and pave repair process is the most drastic of the two and is used for roads in poor or very poor condition. This process removes a defined thickness of the surface level of the existing asphalt and then replaces a new asphalt layer of the same thickness that was removed thereby removing the surface defects and repairing the roadway. The second, and less invasive, process is surface treatments. Pima County utilizes many different methods of surface treatment that can extend the life of the road from four to ten years depending on the method. You can learn more about the four most common methods of treatment by visiting the program’s treatments page.
“Pima County is a wonderful place to live with so many amazing things to offer,” said Skinner. “It is our job as the Department of Transportation to make sure getting around Pima County is both safe and enjoyable. Maintaining the roads people travel on every day is key to that mission.”
