If you've tried to drive 22nd Street between Kino Parkway and Tucson Boulevard since early March 2026, you've hit a hard closure — and it isn't lifting anytime soon. The City of Tucson is tearing down and rebuilding the 60-year-old bridge that carries 22nd Street over the Union Pacific Railroad and the Barraza-Aviation Parkway. It's a $157 million widening and bridge-replacement project, one of the largest road jobs on the city's books, and the corridor is expected to stay closed for two and a half to three years. Here is the June 16, 2026 New Development rundown on what's being built and why it matters for the central and south side. $157M — Widening and bridge-replacement project. 1966 — Year the bridge being replaced was built. 4 → 6 — Lanes on the rebuilt 22nd Street. ~Nov 2028 — Target completion of the rebuild What's Being Replaced The project rebuilds roughly 0.85 miles of 22nd Street from Kino Parkway to Tucson Boulevard, centered on the bridge that lifts the street over the Barraza-Aviation Parkway and the Union Pacific Railroad's main line and rail yard. That bridge was built in 1966, and age caught up with it: since 2005 it has carried a 15-ton weight restriction, which barred freight trucks, transit buses, and heavier emergency vehicles from using it and forced them onto longer routes. Replacing the span removes that limit and modernizes a structure that a much smaller Tucson built six decades ago. From Four Lanes to Six The new bridge widens 22nd Street from a four-lane divided roadway to six lanes — three in each direction. Just as notable for anyone who isn't in a car: the rebuild adds eight-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle facilities on both sides of the street, with connections to the Aviation Bike Path that runs alongside the parkway below. Crews are doing all of this above an active freight rail line, a busy rail yard, and a state highway, all of which stay open beneath the work — a big part of why the schedule runs to years rather than months. Who's Building It, and How It's Paid For The contractor is a Granite-Traylor joint venture pairing Granite Construction with bridge specialist Traylor Bros. The $157 million price tag is covered by a mix of local and federal dollars: funding from the City of Tucson and the Regional Transportation Authority, plus a $25 million federal RAISE grant (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) the city secured in 2022. It's the kind of multi-source funding package that large bridge replacements increasingly depend on. The Closure and Detours This is the part residents are already living with. The full closure of 22nd Street between Tucson Boulevard and Cherrybell Stravenue began on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, and is expected to last two and a half to three years, with completion targeted for around November 2028. While the bridge is out, drivers are detoured using Broadway to the north and 36th Street to the south. The Aviation Bikeway is closed on both sides of the bridge during construction, and eastbound turns from Aviation Parkway onto 22nd Street aren't permitted. Closure limits, ramp configurations, and dates shift as work progresses, so confirm current conditions with the City of Tucson before relying on any single detail. Why It Matters If You Live, Buy, or Sell Nearby 22nd Street is one of Tucson's crosstown freight-and-commuter corridors, tying the east side toward Kino Parkway, the airport area, and the I-10/I-19 interchange. Restoring full truck, bus, and emergency-vehicle access on a modern six-lane span — with real sidewalks and bike lanes — is a long-term connectivity upgrade for a stretch that has lived with a load-restricted bridge for two decades. The near-term trade-off is real: a multi-year closure that reroutes daily traffic onto Broadway and 36th Street. If you're touring homes in the pocket bounded by Kino Parkway, Cherrybell, and Tucson Boulevard, it's worth understanding both the current detours and the finished layout — the disruption is time-boxed, while the wider, modernized crossing is a permanent improvement to the corridor. Quick reference (June 16, 2026): The City of Tucson is rebuilding the 22nd Street bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad and Barraza-Aviation Parkway — a $157 million widening and replacement by a Granite-Traylor joint venture, funded by the City, the Regional Transportation Authority, and a $25 million federal RAISE grant. It rebuilds about 0.85 miles of 22nd Street from Kino Parkway to Tucson Boulevard, widening from four lanes to six with eight-foot pedestrian and bicycle facilities and Aviation Bike Path connections, and replaces the 1966 bridge that carried a 15-ton weight limit since 2005. The full closure between Tucson Boulevard and Cherrybell Stravenue began March 3, 2026 and is expected to run two and a half to three years (target completion around November 2028); detour via Broadway to the north and 36th Street to the south. Dates and closures change — confirm with the City of Tucson before relying on any single detail. Sources City of Tucson, Department of Transportation and Mobility — "22nd Street Bridge — Kino Parkway to Tucson Boulevard" — dtmprojects.tucsonaz.gov/pages/22nd-street-bridge — accessed June 16, 2026 (project limits from Kino Parkway to Tucson Boulevard; replacement of the bridge over the Barraza-Aviation Parkway and Union Pacific Railroad; widening to six lanes; eight-foot pedestrian and bicycle facilities and Aviation Bike Path connections; closure and detour information). Granite Construction — "Granite Leads Joint Venture to Deliver 22nd Street Widening and Bridge Replacement Project in Tucson" — graniteconstruction.com/newsroom/granite-leads-joint-venture-deliver-22nd-street-widening-and-bridge-replacement-project — accessed June 16, 2026 ($157 million contract; Granite-Traylor joint venture with Traylor Bros.; rebuild of 0.85 miles of 22nd Street from Kino Parkway to Tucson Boulevard; replacement of the four-lane bridge with a six-lane structure over the Barraza-Aviation Parkway and Union Pacific Railroad; 60-year-old bridge). Equipment World — "Granite to lead Tucson 22nd Street widening project" — equipmentworld.com/roadbuilding/article/15816428/granite-to-lead-tucson-22nd-street-widening-project — accessed June 16, 2026 ($157 million project; 0.85 miles; replacement of the 60-year-old bridge; six-lane structure). KGUN9 — "Road work ahead: Construction for 22nd Street Bridge Project starts Tuesday" — kgun9.com/news/community-inspired-journalism/southside-news/road-work-ahead-construction-for-22nd-street-bridge-project-starts-tuesday — accessed June 16, 2026 (full closure between Tucson Boulevard and Cherrybell Stravenue beginning Tuesday, March 3, 2026; Broadway and 36th Street detours; Aviation Bikeway closure; eastbound turns from Aviation Parkway onto 22nd Street not permitted). KOLD News 13 — "22nd Street to close for major bridge project in Tucson" — kold.com/2026/03/02/22nd-street-close-major-bridge-project-tucson — accessed June 16, 2026 (three-year project; full closure beginning March 3, 2026; replacement of the 1966 bridge that cannot support buses, heavy trucks, and emergency vehicles; widening with bike and pedestrian connections). Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County — "City of Tucson, RTA celebrate groundbreaking for 22nd Street bridge project" — rtamobility.com/get-involved/news/city-of-tucson-rta-celebrate-groundbreaking-for-22nd-street-bridge-project — accessed June 16, 2026 (RTA funding participation; groundbreaking; project scope). Arizona Daily Star (tucson.com) — "Long-awaited rebuild of Tucson's 22nd Street bridge set to begin" — tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/article_453d0dbf-1c90-4a95-8fe1-852968a9ff1b.html — accessed June 16, 2026 (two-and-a-half-to-three-year timeline; full closure between Tucson Boulevard and Cherrybell Stravenue; 15-ton weight restriction in place since 2005; $25 million federal RAISE grant; funding from the City of Tucson and the Regional Transportation Authority). Dates, costs, closure limits, and completion timelines change — confirm current details with the City of Tucson before relying on any single one. This post is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase real estate.