sr 77/oracle road multimodal corridor profile study final report - Pima ...

North of the Pima County line into Pinal County, there are four major developments that are
predicted to impact capacity on SR 77. Eagle Crest Ranch is a primarily residential community
with over 900 dwelling units planned along with a major grocery store and a new school.
Saddlebrooke is an existing age-restricted community north of the Pima County line, just east of
SR 77, which is being expanded to include an additional 769 dwelling units. Saddlebrooke
Ranch is a new community planned north of the SR 77/SR 79 junction, with over 6000 dwelling
units and 150 acres of commercial, industrial and resort uses.
The Willow Springs community is being developed north of the SR 77/SR 79 junction. This
master planned community will have over 8,500 dwelling units on 4600 acres, and 3,500
commercial and industrial employees are envisioned for the businesses at Willow Springs.
Stakeholder meeting attendees were concerned about the impact the Pinal County developments
would have on SR 77 in Pima County. Although primary access to the State Highway system
will be to SR 79 from Willow Springs, southbound traffic will merge onto SR 77 at the SR
77/SR 79 junction.
2.9.2 Transit Issues
The Transit Element of the 2030 PAG Regional Transportation Plan (The PAG Transit Study)
was underway at the same time as this corridor study. The PAG Transit Study is a
comprehensive examination of potential public transportation improvements through the year
2030. The results of this study were incorporated into the PAG 2030 Regional Transportation
Plan as amended.
Many of the public agencies stakeholders identified transit service availability as an important
issue in the corridor. PAG staff indicated that the investigation of future transit services and
facilities along the corridor was a primary consideration in developing the scope of work for this
corridor study with ADOT. Transit alternatives to fixed route service were discussed, such as
express bus and light rail. The possibility of providing an exclusive bus lane/right-turn lane
along Oracle Road was also discussed.
An important issue raised at the meetings is the provision of a future transit route that would
serve Raytheon workers living in Oro Valley. According to PAG, there are over 900 Raytheon
employees living in Oro Valley. Residents in Catalina have also expressed interest in extending
transit service farther north than its current availability.
Regional transit commuters today have no direct express transit service to downtown Tucson
from Oro Valley. Riders must now transfer at the Tohono Tadai which adds several minutes to
the commute. Northbound routes (Sun Tran Routes #16 and #62) must detour from Oracle Road
at Wetmore to serve the Tohono Tadai Transit Center.
2.9.3 Bike and Pedestrian Issues
Bicycle and pedestrian facilities were discussed at each of the agency stakeholder meetings.
Within the City of Tucson, sidewalks (or the lack of sidewalks) were discussed as were existing
bicycle facilities on SR 77. ADOT rates SR 77 as having a “more suitable” designation for
bicycle facilities, indicating that the current condition of bike facilities is acceptable with wide
SR 77/Oracle Road Multimodal Corridor Profile Study May 2007
Final Report Page 2-28