By admin TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Neighbors living on a dirt road in the Picture Rocks area said storm damage has left deep, loose sand on the road, raising concerns about their safety.
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The neighborhood is located on West Ina Road, just east of North Sandario Road.
The road is covered in sand. Neighbors say they see similar issues every time it rains but say it has not been this bad in years. Neighbors said they are concerned because more rain is expected this week.
The sand is deep enough that shoes sink into it, and conditions worsen further down the road, making it difficult to drive through.
Resident Penny Brite said the road conditions have affected more than expected.
“It turns bad to where you can’t take a regular automobile down the road,” Brite said.
Brite walked a mile and a half in nearly triple-digit heat to get back home after going to the store for food.
“I walked last night at night but today I was out of food, and I had to go to the store,” Brite said.
Brite said the current conditions follow an August 31st storm that left deep, loose sand covering West Ina Road – worse than neighbors have ever seen.
The Pima County Department of Transportation said the road is in unincorporated Pima County and is not a county-maintained road.
“Per section 10.04.030 of Title 10 in the Pima County code, public funds shall not be used for regular maintenance of a road that has not been laid out, opened, and constructed to Pima County requirements without cost to the county. Ina Road is an existing dirt road that has never been constructed to Pima County standards and therefore has not been accepted into the County’s maintenance system,” said PCDOT in a statement.
Brite responded to the county’s position.
“200 families don’t matter? Our taxes don’t matter?” Brite said.
Brite said the road conditions are affecting personal vehicles, as well as delivery and pickup services.
“The dump trucks, when they pick up the trash, they get stuck all up and down the road and that makes it even worse because then they turn up the sand and it makes big pockets,” Brite said.
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Neighbors received a message from Hughes Sanitation saying they would need to walk their bins to the start of the road to a “community pickup spot” until conditions improve, according to an anonymous neighbor.
That neighbor said the situation raises concerns about other services.
“There are a lot of elderly people out this way who can’t get emergency services if something happens to them right now,” the resident said.
County officials said in their statement that if a non-maintained dirt road is deemed impassable, the area will be addressed, and residents should submit concerns through their office.
Neighbors said they have reached out to the county but have not yet received help.
Neighbors are currently pooling money to rent equipment to remove the sand and are towing stuck vehicles for free.
Full statement from PCDOT:
Pima County Department of Transportation (PCDOT) staff provided the following information regarding Ina Road, east of Sandario Road into the Picture Rocks area.
Ina Road is located in Unincorporated Pima County. Pima County maintains over 250 miles of dirt roads and is not adding any additional roads to the maintenance system. Per section 10.04.030 of Title 10 in the Pima County code, public funds shall not be used for regular maintenance of a road that has not been laid out, opened, and constructed to Pima County requirements without cost to the county. Ina Road is an existing dirt road that has never been constructed to Pima County standards and therefore has not been accepted into the County’s maintenance system. A non-maintained dirt road may be reviewed in accordance with Pima County Standard Operating Procedure and upon evaluation of the road, if an area is deemed impassable, then that area will be addressed. It is recommended that the public use the SeeClickFix application (https://seeclickfix.com/Tucson) to submit concerns or contact our office at 520-724-6410 so the concern can be evaluated.
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