City of Tucson Awarded $25 Million Federal BUILD Grant

Published on July 15, 2026

The City of Tucson received notice that it has been awarded a $25 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Wetmore Road to River Road section of the voter-approved City of Tucson / Regional Transit Authority (RTA) 1st Avenue: River Road to Grant Road Improvement Project.

The 1st Avenue corridor is one of Tucson's and the region's most vital north-south connections that provides access through the core of our community and across the Rillito River for residents, businesses, transit users, freight movement, and emergency responders. This federal investment will assist the City and the RTA to complete the project, improving safety, mobility, accessibility, and infrastructure resilience for our community now and long into the future.  

“This is a tremendous success for Tucson. Years ago, our community chose to invest in this corridor by approving the Regional Transportation Authority, and this award helps us deliver on that commitment," said Mayor Regina Romero. "I want to thank the voters for their confidence, along with Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Congressman Juan Ciscomani, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and our regional partners for helping make this investment possible. Replacing the aging Rillito River bridge and improving 1st Avenue will make this corridor safer, more reliable, and better connected for the thousands of people who depend on it every day.” 

"In Ward 3, 1st Avenue is a vital corridor that connects our neighborhoods, schools, and links our residents to the businesses they rely on," said Ward 3 Council Member Kevin Dahl. "For the residents who live on First Avenue, safety is paramount and these investments significantly increase that safety."  

The Wetmore to River Road section of the project has a total cost of $49,668,557. After the BUILD Grant funding is applied, the remaining $24,668,557 is funded by the RTA through RTA Next, the regional transportation investment plan approved by our region's voters in 2026. Currently, the full 1st Avenue Improvement project is approaching the 30% design milestone, with the next round of public engagement scheduled for August 2026. Following this phase, the project will transition to final design with construction for the Wetmore Road to River Road segment anticipated to start in 2028, with subsequent phases to follow.

City Manager Tim Thomure, P.E. stated, “I am gratified to see our organization continuing to successfully compete for and receive federal dollars across multiple federal administrations and through often challenging economic times to invest in improving our community. This continued success speaks to the quality of the work done by our staff in planning, engineering, and collaborating with our jurisdictional partners to advance significant capital projects with the support of our Mayor and Council, and in this case, our region's voters."

Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Michael J. Ortega, P.E. extended his congratulations to the City of Tucson for this grant award and stated, "This further demonstrates City leadership’s commitment to delivering infrastructure upgrades for the benefit of the residents of Tucson and the entire metro region. The RTA Board also is committed to delivering all the voter-approved projects in the original and new RTA plans. Our partnership with the City of Tucson remains a critical element for the delivery of a new generation of transportation improvements."

The Wetmore Road to River Road section of the 1st Avenue Improvement Project will replace the existing Rillito River bridge and reconstruct approximately 1 mile of 1st Avenue between Wetmore Road and River Road. Additional planned improvements include:  

Once complete, the project will improve safety and accessibility for all roadway users while modernizing aging infrastructure, improving traffic operations, strengthening multimodal transportation options, enhancing corridor reliability, and increasing resilience during storm events.  

"We are honored to be the recipient of a $25 million BUILD grant to replace the aging 1st Avenue Bridge over the Rillito River and completely reconstruct 1 mile of 1st Avenue between Wetmore and River Roads," said Samuel A. Credio, director of the City of Tucson Department of Transportation & Mobility. "These improvements are a critical part of our broader vision for the 1st Avenue: River Road to Grant Road Project, ensuring safer, more reliable mobility for all who travel this important corridor. I want to express my sincere gratitude to our team for their hard work in preparing the grant application and our federal partners for their trust in the City of Tucson to deliver this critical piece of infrastructure for our community,” 

The latest project information can be found at https://tucson1stavenueproject.com/  

The BUILD Grant program is one of the U.S. Department of Transportation's most competitive discretionary funding opportunities, supporting projects of national and regional significance that improve transportation infrastructure, safety, and mobility. During this funding cycle, the U.S. Department of Transportation received nearly 1,200 eligible applications requesting more than $14.5 billion in funding and selected 127 projects across 52 states, territories, and the District of Columbia to receive a combined $1.73 billion in BUILD grants.  

The City of Tucson's selection underscores the regional significance of the 1st Avenue Improvement Project and reflects the strong partnership among the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Regional Transportation Authority, and the City of Tucson.

BUILD Grant Webpage