ARIZONA DAILY STAR:  Sun., June 1, 2008

The six worst roads in Pima County

By Andrea Kelly and Erica Meltzer

 

13% of major Tucson-area streets so bad they need complete rebuilding

About 13% of the major roads in and around Tucson are in such bad condition that repaving in not an option. The only real fix is to tear them out and rebuild from the ground up.  In odometer talk, that's like driving over 481 miles — roughly from Tucson to Los Angeles — on a continuous ribbon of bumps, ruts, cracks, holes and waves.

Nearly 23% of Pima County roads are nearing the end of their serviceable life. And the county figures don't even include the deterioration of neighborhood streets, which it hasn't gotten around to measuring yet, as Tucson has.

When roads get that bad, filling potholes and sealing cracks at the surface aren't enough to save them. Not when the roadbed underneath is crumbling due to heat; rain seeping into cracks and expanding when it freezes; the weight of thousands of cars passing over; and years of neglect.  When roads are that far gone, total replacement, at a cost of up to $47 a square yard, is the only answer.

The Six Worst Roads in the Tucson Area

1. South Mission Road, south of west Los Reales to West Pima Mine Road.

2. North La Cañada Drive and North Flowing Wells Road, from West Magee Road to West Roger Road

3. South Camino Loma Alta, East Old Spanish Trail to East Colossal Cave  

4. South Campbell Avenue, East Benson Highway to East Valencia Road

Tied for 5 – North Mountain Avenue, from East Fort Lowell Road to East Roger Road

Tied for 5 – South Wilmot Road, the paved portion south of Interstate 10

FULL STORY:  http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/241652