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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The 6th Street underpass at Stone Avenue will partially open to the public starting Monday, May 18, offering relief to drivers and businesses after years of construction in downtown Tucson.
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The underpass will open one lane of travel in each direction and a sidewalk on the south side of the road. The project has been underway since August 2020.
Sandy Luna’s flower shop, Buds and Blooms, is located right off the corner of Stone Avenue and Sixth Street, where the major transportation project has been underway for years.
“Everyday there is something going on and it’s a little crazy,” Luna said.
Construction impacts local businesses
Since August 2020, Tucson’s Department of Transportation and Mobility has been building the 6th Street underpass, designed to avoid the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and alleviate traffic moving through downtown. During that time, the area has been limited to drivers, which Luna said has impacted business.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of traffic and people, because you know, we have the gallery next to it, but sometimes there’s just like nobody,” Luna said.
The underpass will remove the existing railroad crossing and connect Church Avenue to Sixth Street.
“Opening one lane, it will definitely make a difference and people will actually find the area where we are located instead of just going around and not finding the place,” Luna said.
Part of larger Downtown Links project
The underpass is part of Tucson’s Downtown Links Improvement Project, which spans from I-10 to Broadway and was intended to improve safety and mitigate flood risk throughout downtown. The underpass is part of the final phase of the project, which was originally scheduled to be done by the end of 2025.
Kevin Rountree, general manager at Corbett’s, said he can’t remember when there wasn’t construction downtown.
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“I started working down here in 2024 and I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve seen that other side. I mean, even myself I try to avoid going over there,” Rountree said.
“Being from Tucson, you know, you know where the traffic is and you know where the construction is and you kind of avoid it, so it’s nice to be able to, when things open up, people won’t avoid our area,” Rountree said.
The Department of Transportation and Mobility said the underpass will be completely open by late June or early July. Several projects are still left, including landscaping and adding bicycle and pedestrian rail crossings.
Luna said she’s happy traffic may finally start to flow on her side of town.
“It will be wonderful, I’m pretty sure everybody will know the place and know that we are here, and finally we’re going to have all the traffic,” Luna said.
The Department of Transportation and Mobility said they expect more cars to be re-routed toward 6th Street due to the two-month closure of Grant Road. They said they are using a smart traffic signal system on the Grant Road detour route to help reduce congestion.
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