Will ADOT Ever Repair Highway 90? AKA, Sierra Vista’s BAD Road in Front of Target & Fry’s!

Sierra Vista Wants to Know: When will Highway 90 Be Repaired?

Sierra Vista City Councilman Mark Rodriguez was on KWCD 92.3 for the First Watch program. Rodriguez talked about a topic that everybody that lives in our area is interested in, “It's that road that we that some of us know as state road 90, otherwise referred to as the road in front of Target and Fry’s.” said Rodriguez. 

When you live in a city that has a road like that, you'd want to talk to your City Council. Unfortunately, the city of Sierra Vista can't do anything about that road: the responsibility belongs to the state of Arizona.

Everyone in Sierra Vista Uses this Road Sooner or Later

Highway 90 and 92 is one of the busiest intersections in the county. The road is used every day by a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, it's the only way to get to the hospital.

“Our first responders used that whether you're coming from Whestone, anywhere in Sierra Vista, anywhere from the Fry Fire District, you're going to come up that road with your apparatuses and with your big vehicles, or with your medical units with patients in the back, down that bumpy road.” said Rodriguez.  

How Do We Get the Road Fixed?

How does the road get fixed? According to Councilman Rodriguez, last year Senator Gowan lobbied for funding for the project, at that time it was $10.6 million, set aside to repair the road from Industry Drive, located across from Walmart, all the way down to Moson Road, which crosses Highway 90 past the hospital.

That project was scheduled to begin April of 2022. ADOT was supposed to solicit bids for the project by the end of the year, and projected work would begin about two months later.

“So, from what I understand during this last House and Senate bipartisan session, they passed the bill and got some more money for us. So now the project is going to be bigger. They've gotten $39.2 million in addition to the $10.6 million, as well as a 3.71 million dollars of additional for inflation in case the price of supplies goes up within the time that the road work gets done.", said Rodriguez.  

Now the project will go from Industry Drive to the Border Patrol checkpoint. The Arizona State Transportation Board held a public meeting to discuss the upcoming project with concerns and ideas, and according to Rodriguez, create awareness about the project.  “It’s a good opportunity for a lot of local people if they want to get their voices heard. I hear a lot on social media, Instagram, and Facebook, about this road.” Said Rodriguez.

What's the Timeline to Begin Road for Repairs? 

Is there any timeline for when this might begin?

"The fourth quarter of this fiscal year is when it's going to go out for bid which is April to June,” said Rodriguez. That means the earliest they could start work is the fall of this year, best case scenario. 

"Hopefully the priority will be from Industry Drive and out past the hospital. If they're going to do it in phases, that needs to be phase one. We don't need to start at the Border Patrol checkpoint and come down this way, we need to do the opposite way and go up.” finished Rodriguez.