Two Lanes to Six: Valencia Road's Last Gap Closes
Tucson's Valencia Road widening from Kolb to Houghton is down to striping and landscaping. What two lanes became, what it cost, and when the barrels come down.
Nearly four miles of southeast-side arterial have been under construction since November 2024. The city's own list of what remains runs from subgrade and utility work to permanent striping and landscaping.
For twenty-two months, the drive east on Valencia Road past Kolb has been two lanes, shifting barrels, and a work zone that moved from one side of the roadway to the other. The City of Tucson's project page now reads like a punch list rather than a construction schedule: landscaping, utility adjustments, manhole coating, signage, permanent striping and subgrade work are what remain. Construction started Monday, November 11, 2024. The city's target for finishing is late September 2026, and the Regional Transportation Authority's corridor page says the same month.
- Nov. 11, 2024
- Construction start date, Kolb Road to Houghton Road
- Late Sept. 2026
- Completion target published by the City of Tucson
- 2 → 6
- Travel lanes on this segment, before and after
- 3.7 miles
- Length per the Pima Association of Governments; the city calls it nearly four miles
- $25.9M + $9M
- Programmed in the RTA plan as ballot item 2006-25 — RTA share plus other sources, in 2006 constant dollars
What Nearly Four Miles of Road Actually Bought
The finished cross-section is a six-lane parkway with landscaped median islands, bike lanes, sidewalks and a separated multi-use path. Traffic signals and intersection work land at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road. The landscaping is native plant material, the lighting is dark-sky compliant, and there is public art in the scope. Borderland Construction is the contractor; the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility manages the project.
Two cost figures circulate and neither is wrong. KGUN 9 reported the project at roughly $29 million. The RTA's project list programs it at $25.9 million in RTA funds plus $9 million from other sources — in 2006 constant dollars, which is how a twenty-year plan stays comparable across its own periods. A plan number and a construction number answer different questions. The RTA share of that — the $25.9 million, not the $9 million from other sources — comes from a half-cent excise tax collected in a state-established district inside Pima County, which began collecting July 1, 2006 and ran through June 30, 2026.
The item that will matter most on a July afternoon is the least visible one: drainage structures for all-weather access. A desert arterial that dips through a wash is a road that closes, and closures on a connector this long push traffic onto residential streets.
- Phase 1 — November 2024 (North side, Multi-use path): Work outside the existing travel lanes on the north side, traffic patterns unchanged. Early completions included the multi-use path and base paving there.
- Phase 2 — mid-2025 (Traffic shift, South side): Traffic moved onto the newly built north half so crews could rebuild the south half. The shift was weather-dependent and timed around monsoon season.
- Final stage — 2026 (Striping, Signage, Landscaping): Permanent striping, signage, manhole coating, utility adjustments, subgrade and landscaping. Contractors have been running summer hours, 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Why This Segment Was the Holdout
The RTA has been widening Valencia from the inside out for a decade. Alvernon Way to Kolb Road went from four lanes to six in 2015, including the Interstate 10 underpass and the Union Pacific bridge. The Valencia and Kolb intersection — which the RTA calls one of the busiest in the region — was rebuilt in 2019 with indirect left turns in place of left-turn lanes. Out west, Ajo Highway to Mark Road finished in summer 2020. Kolb to Houghton was what was left: two lanes stranded in the middle of a corridor that is six on both sides of it.
Rick Ellis, director of transportation services at the Pima Association of Governments, framed the payoff regionally — completing the project enhances a vital link across the southern portion of the metro that connects residential, commercial, transportation and cultural assets. For Rita Ranch, Vail and Corona de Tucson, the practical version is that the interior of the metro gets closer without a detour.
The scoreboard for the plan as a whole, in the RTA's own words: as of May 2026, of the 35 road projects on the 2006 ballot, 19 are complete, seven nearly complete, two under construction and six still in design. Downtown Links and the Grant Road Union Pacific underpass are the other corridors listed for a fall 2026 finish.
What a Finished Road Changes for a Buyer
Retail follows capacity, and the paperwork on this corridor already shows it. The Arizona Daily Star reported in January 2026 that a 158,000-square-foot Costco warehouse is planned on 22 acres at 9688 E. Old Vail Road and would open the following year, and that a Sprouts Farmers Market will anchor a center at Houghton and Old Vail roads with no opening timeline announced. Both sit on Old Vail Road at Houghton, which is a different junction from the Valencia and Old Vail intersection this project signalizes — the two share a street, not a signal. What the stores are counting on is the corridor's capacity rather than any one intersection.
If you are shopping the southeast side, drive the corridor after the barrels come down rather than before. A road under construction and the same road finished are different commutes, and that difference is measurable in a way no listing description is. One other thing is worth checking at the parcel level: whether a subdivision sits inside a community facilities district, which adds a tax rate to fund its own infrastructure. It is a public record, and it is easier to confirm before an offer than after.
Quick reference (September 17, 2026): The City of Tucson's Valencia Road Improvement Project widens Valencia from Kolb Road to Houghton Road — 3.7 miles per the Pima Association of Governments, described by the city as nearly four miles — from two lanes to a six-lane parkway with landscaped median islands, bike lanes, sidewalks, a multi-use path, drainage for all-weather access, upgraded signals at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road, native landscaping, public art and dark-sky compliant lighting. Construction began November 11, 2024 with Borderland Construction as contractor; the city lists completion as late September 2026 and the RTA lists September 2026. It is ballot item 2006-25 in the Regional Transportation Authority plan, programmed at $25.9 million RTA plus $9 million other in 2006 constant dollars; KGUN 9 reported the cost at roughly $29 million. Schedules and costs change — confirm current details with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility or the RTA before relying on any single figure.
Sources
City of Tucson, Department of Transportation and Mobility — "Valencia Road: Kolb to Houghton" — dtmprojects.tucsonaz.gov/pages/valencia-road-kolb-to-houghton — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the November 11, 2024 construction start, the late September 2026 completion target, the description of the project as nearly four miles widening Valencia to a six-lane roadway, the drainage enhancements, expanded bicycle and pedestrian facilities and traffic signal upgrades, the first phase concentrated on the north side with the multi-use path and base paving completed early, the remaining work of landscaping, utility adjustments, manhole coating, signage, permanent striping and subgrade, the summer contractor hours of 5 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the traffic signal at Nexus and Old Vail Road, the native landscaping, and the project's place in the voter-approved $2.1 billion Regional Transportation Authority plan)
Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County — "RTA Roadway Corridors" — rtamobility.com/projects/corridors/ — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the statement that the Valencia Road Kolb-to-Houghton project, ballot item 2006-25, will widen Valencia to a six-lane parkway with bike lanes, sidewalks and drainage for all-weather access and is in the construction phase anticipated to be completed in September 2026; for the 35 road improvement projects in the 2006 RTA plan and the May 2026 status of 19 complete, seven nearly complete, two under construction and six in design; for the fall 2026 completion targets for Downtown Links and the Grant Road Union Pacific Railroad underpass; and for the earlier Valencia phases — Alvernon Way to Kolb Road widened from four lanes to six in 2015 including the Interstate 10 underpass and Union Pacific bridge, the Valencia/Kolb intersection described as one of the busiest in the region and rebuilt in 2019 with indirect left turns, and Ajo Highway to Mark Road completed in summer 2020)
Pima Association of Governments — "Valencia Road project will complete important corridor for growing southeast side" (December 11, 2024) — pagregion.com/news/valencia-road-project-will-complete-important-corridor-for-growing-southeast-side/ — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the 3.7-mile length, the six-lane parkway with bike lanes, pathways, sidewalks and drainage for all-weather access, the traffic signal and intersection upgrades at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road, the native plant landscaping, public art and dark sky compliant lighting, the benefit cited for Vail, Rita Ranch and Corona de Tucson, and the quotation from Rick Ellis, PAG director of transportation services)
KGUN 9 — "Valencia improvement project on schedule to be finished by 2026" — kgun9.com/news/community-inspired-journalism/southeast-side-news/valencia-improvement-project-on-schedule-to-be-finished-by-2026 — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the approximately $29 million project cost, the expansion from two lanes to six between Kolb and Houghton, the shared-use path, the north-side paving, and the remarks by Erica Frazelle of the Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility about the work that must precede roadway work and about development in the area)
KGUN 9 — "Valencia improvement project breaks ground as city of Tucson begins work to expand" (November 18, 2024) — kgun9.com/news/community-inspired-journalism/southeast-side-news/valencia-improvement-project-breaks-ground-as-city-of-tucson-begins-work-to-expand — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the expansion from two to six lanes, the median islands, the improvements to signalized intersections and the multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, and the Erica Frazelle description of the finished roadway)
Tucson Standard — "Valencia Road improvement project set to start November 11" — tucsonstandard.com/stories/665743617-valencia-road-improvement-project-set-to-start-november-11 — accessed September 17, 2026 (for Borderland Construction as the contractor, the phased sequence of north-side construction followed by a mid-2025 traffic shift to the north side and construction on the south side, and the widened six-lane roadway with landscaped median islands, improved drainage, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, lighting and public art)
Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County — "Our Mobility" (May 2024) — rtamobility.com/wp-content/docs/2024/05/RTA-Our-Mobility-2024.pdf — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the RTA project list entry numbered 25, "Valencia Rd., Kolb Rd. to Houghton Rd.: Widen to 6-lane desert parkway, bike lanes and sidewalks," programmed at $25,882 thousand in RTA funds and $9,000 thousand from other sources in the third period, for the note that costs are stated in 2006 constant dollars, for the plan's approval by Pima County voters in May 2006, and for the half-cent excise tax collected in the state-established RTA special taxing district within Pima County beginning July 1, 2006 and effective through June 30, 2026)
The Vail Voice — "Valencia Road, Kolb to Houghton construction update" — thevailvoice.com/valencia-road-kolb-to-houghton-construction-update/ — accessed September 17, 2026 (for Borderland Construction as the contractor alongside the City of Tucson, the six-lane parkway with bike lanes, sidewalks, multi-use path and drainage structures, the upgraded signals at Old Vail Road and Nexus Road, the native plant landscaping, public art and dark sky-compliant lighting, and the work on the northern half preceding a traffic shift to build the southern half)
Arizona Daily Star (tucson.com) — "Costco and Sprouts set to open on Tucson's southeast side" (January 11, 2026, updated March 27, 2026) — tucson.com/news/local/business/article_27d04e50-2f56-4dac-8a5f-e486dcb98553.html — accessed September 17, 2026 (for the 22 acres at 9688 E. Old Vail Road bought for a 158,000-square-foot Costco warehouse reported as opening the following year, and for the Sprouts Farmers Market anchoring a center at Houghton and Old Vail roads with no opening timeline announced)
All details are current as of September 17, 2026; construction schedules, costs and retail opening dates change, so readers should confirm current information with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility and the Regional Transportation Authority before relying on any single figure. This post is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase real estate. Kyle Berglund and Tierra Antigua Realty fully support and comply with the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.
Topics
- New Development
- Infrastructure
- Valencia Road
- RTA
- Rita Ranch
- Vail
- Corona de Tucson
- Tucson