Chamber Congratulates City Council on Advancing Broadway Blvd. Improvements

Chamber Congratulates City Council on Advancing Broadway Blvd. Improvements

Council Vote on Broadway Blvd Improvements 4.20.16
The Tucson City Council did something last night that bureaucracies sometimes struggle to do: they acted.
The Tucson Metro Chamber congratulates Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and four members of the City Council for adopting two measures on their agenda last night that authorized long-awaited and voter-approved improvements to E. Broadway Blvd. between Euclid and Country Club.  Specifically, the Council approved the first of a sequential three-part plan called the “30% Design Plan”.  The plan gives the go-ahead and funding to begin City acquisition and demolition of buildings that are in the right-of-way area of the improvements.
As elected stewards of the City of Tucson, the mayor and Council are to make decisions based on the will of the people and favor decisions that represent the greatest good for the greatest number of citizens.  In 2006 a wide majority of citizens voted in favor of a Regional Transportation Authority Transportation Plan that included plans to widen Broadway, THE major east-west arterial in Tucson and gateway to Tucson’s burgeoning downtown development.
In October 2014 mayor and Council approved a modified six-lane plan that was supported by a majority of the Broadway Citizens Task Force.  Since then, several modifications have been made to the plan.  Those final modifications were approved by mayor and Council in June 2015, giving us the “30% Design Plan” that was finally approved last night…after dozens of public hearings.
Not surprisingly, some residents in the area of the improvements expressed opposition, but in the end the Council acted to approve the “30% Design Plan” because Broadway Blvd. is a regional transportation route, it is not a neighborhood transportation route.
The Chamber congratulates Mayor Rothschild and Council Members Paul Cunningham, Karin Uhlich, Shirley Scott and Richard Fimbres for supporting the will of the voters and for their steadfastness in promoting badly needed transportation improvements in our City. Council Member Regina Romero was absent.
We hope that the improvements to the Broadway corridor facilitate new business growth, densification near the City’s core and make the east-west arterial improvements an even bigger welcome mat for those who want to spend more time in Downtown Tucson.