Editorial: Bypass looms as solution to growth, traffic

Chuck Huckelberry says the population of Pima County will grow by 500,000 in the next 20 years, with Green Valley adding thousands of retirees and Sahuarita continuing to attract young families.

The Pima County administrator and other local leaders stare at the number with astonishment but also with a sobering reality. The demand for services and more roads will be overwhelming.

Transportation leaps out as the most immediate need. Already, clogged roads and freeways plague the county. Imagine what will happen with 25,000 more residents, and at least 10,000 more cars, hitting the road every year for 20 years.

One solution to the problem would come in developing a bypass for Interstate 10. The bypass would route traffic around Tucson, instead of through downtown, to ease congestion for commuters and truckers.

A state panel assembled to study the issue offered two solutions last week, one of which would directly impact Green Valley and Sahuarita.

A suggested bypass would take westbound traffic off I-10 near Vail, directing it south and west through the Green Valley and Sahuarita areas, crossing I-19 before heading north through Avra Valley. It would connect with I-10 near Casa Grande.

The other idea recommended for further study would divert westbound traffic off I-10 near Willcox, northwest through the Aravaipa Valley and then west toward Casa Grande, where it would meet again with I-10.

After more than a year of study, the State Transportation Board eliminated two routes suggested through the San Pedro Valley in the Benson area. Opponents railed against them for environmental reasons.

We’re not thrilled with the idea of bringing more trucks and cars into our backyard. The route through Green Valley and Sahuarita will face stiff public opposition, too, as the state goes forward with more analysis.

But in the end, the realities of growth cannot be ignored. Planning is essential — or Pima County and the state will wind up paying 10 or 15 times more for roads.

Phoenix and Maricopa County put off freeway construction for decades. Opponents fought construction because they did not want Phoenix to turn into another Los Angeles, which suffers from massive pollution and a complex freeway system. By waiting, Phoenix streets and Maricopa County roads were overcome by gridlock. It took the county more than a decade to catch up with growth at great expense to taxpayers.

Opponents of a bypass say alternatives such as light-rail and high-speed rail should be considered. That’s unrealistic in our view. The bypass would fix problems associated with travel through Tucson, keeping trucks off I-10 in urban areas. Light rail would do nothing to detour trucks and their cargo.

Light rail has been successful in attracting commuters in tightly packed urban areas, but the model would not work in an expansive place like Pima County. Schedules and connections would be it unreliable, forcing frustrated riders back into their cars at considerable cost to taxpayers.

A proposed commuter rail line from Nogales to Tucson to Phoenix would be one of the biggest boondoggles in state history. Efforts to establish a line on the California coast have been greeted with a collective yawn. If that’s the case, what would happen in Arizona? Amtrak, which has been bleeding taxpayers for decades, does not even offer service to Phoenix. There’s no demand and will be little in the future.

For now, the Transportation Board has asked for study on costs environmental impacts. That’s the right course. It's one we support to tackle the impending onslaught of people and traffic.

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