Final Report - Pima Association of Governments

High Capacity Transit System Plan - Final Report June 2009
HCT Implementation Strategy
The proposed BRT system would extend from Campbell Avenue to Houghton Road,
approximately 10 miles, and would connect UA with residential and employment areas along
Speedway Boulevard. The spacing of stops would be no closer than one mile, and TSP will be
required. Park‐and‐ride lots would be provided along the corridor, particularly west of Craycroft
Road. As HCT service along Broadway Boulevard expands, implementation of a parallel BRT
system along Speedway Boulevard may need to be considered.
Existing and Programmed/Planned Transit Service
Fixed‐route and express bus service are currently provided along Speedway Boulevard. Route 4,
which runs from the Harrison Road park‐and‐ride lot to Stone Avenue, has a weekday ridership
of over 5,000 passengers. Route 4 service during both weekdays and weekends was recently
extended. Existing express bus service includes three routes: Foothills/Downtown Express (105X),
Catalina Highway/Downtown Express (109X), and Eastside/Aero Park Express (201X). Route
105X runs on Speedway Boulevard between Swan Road and Downtown; however, the only stop
on Speedway Boulevard is at Campbell Avenue. Route 109X runs on Speedway Boulevard
between Columbus Avenue and downtown Tucson, with one stop at Highland Avenue. Route
201X runs on Speedway Boulevard between Harrison Road and Alvernon Way with three stops
(Harrison Road, Kolb Road, and Alvernon Way). No additional transit service within the corridor
is currently planned or programmed.
HCT Implementation Constraints
Considering the lack of available right‐of‐way and the prohibitively high cost of adding
designated HCT lanes, particularly since most adjacent property is commercial, BRT service on
Speedway Boulevard will have to run in general purpose lanes. Implementation of BRT service in
general purpose lanes will be constrained primarily by land use compatibility and lack of
potential for TOD. Employment density along this corridor is currently at levels lower than those
desired for TOD and is not projected to increase significantly in 2040. With these low densities, it
will be difficult to generate the transit demand throughout the day that will support a BRT
service. Additionally, employing effective transit preferential treatments will be difficult
considering the heavy traffic volumes that this roadway carries, particularly during peak
commute periods.
Implementation Plan
• Monitor transit ridership demand along Speedway Boulevard to determine if additional
express bus service, particularly from Harrison Road or Houghton Road, serving UA and
downtown Tucson is needed. Expansion of express bus service is likely a precursor to
implementation of BRT service.
• Ensure that new development and redevelopment in the interim is “transit‐ready.” (See
Section 9.0)
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