TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — There could be a blockage in plans to complete the Grant Road Widening. The Regional Transport Authority says there is no money to pay for the final stretches.

On Grant Road, near the Country Club, you see the western edge of phases three and four. The run roughly from Swan to Alvernon. Look around and you see what is planned as Phases 5 and 6 to expand the Country Club grant to Campbell, but the question now arises as to how they are going to pay for it.

The Grant Road project has been in the works for 18 years. It is intended to provide a fast east-west route without building a highway through the city. But now the Regional Transportation Authority says it doesn’t have the $146 million needed to complete Phases 5 and 6 and make improvements to North First Avenue.

These are joint projects with the city of Tucson. RTA says it will need money outside of the funds it gets from the sales tax you pay.

Tucson Transportation Director Sam Credio says it’s too early to say how it will work, but he expects it to happen before voters vote next year to authorize RTA Next – again twenty years of the Regional Transport Authority.

“I don’t think we should wait for the next RTA to pass just because those decisions haven’t been made yet on how to fund grants five and six, as well as First Avenue. I believe these conversations will happen well before the next RTA elections.

Credio says Tucsonans will benefit from what has already been done along Grant, with more lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks, but there will be a bottleneck from six lanes to four if the widening doesn’t happen. not produced between Campbell and Country Club.