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Oro Valley working group debates road widenings, multi-use path and signal timing; staff to test new timing on La Canada
Summary
At a Feb. neighborhood planning workshop, town staff and residents weighed road widenings, intersection fixes and a federal grant-funded multi-use path on Naranja Drive. Staff reported collision counts for key intersections and said they will test a "resting green" signal timing on La Canada before the next meeting.
Malini Sims, a principal planner with the town of Oro Valley, opened the workshop and said the meeting's purpose was to refine goals and actions for the town's 10-year plan based on last year's resident feedback and current legal requirements. "My name is Malini Sims. I'm a principal planner with the town," she told participants at the virtual session.
Why it matters: Residents pressed for concrete fixes to make walking and biking safer and to ease confusing or congested intersections. The group debated tradeoffs between widening roads for capacity and preserving space for multi-use paths that could reduce vehicle miles traveled.
Key points and outcomes
- Federal grant for Naranja Drive: Paul Keesler, the town's public works director and town engineer, said the town "we received a federal grant" to finish design of a new multi-use path (MUP) along the north side of Naranja from La Canada to First Avenue. He said the project would fill a major pedestrian gap and improve safe access to Ironwood High School and Naranja Park.
- Neighborhood safety and enforcement: Residents repeatedly raised speeding and red-light running as threats to pedestrians and cyclists. One participant urged automated camera enforcement as a possible tool to deter speeding.
- Intersections singled out for study: The Oracle/First intersection and the Oracle/McGee intersection were named multiple times as trouble spots. Staff cited collision counts: "for 2024, there were 14 traffic collisions on Oracle and First," and Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett noted that "Oracle and McGee had 24 collisions in 2024." Town staff committed to follow up with collision data normalized by traffic volume.
- Jurisdictional limits and coordination: Paul Keesler said portions of Oracle Road are under Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) control but the town coordinates with the state on improvements. He noted the town previously acquired Tangerine from ADOT but that taking ownership of Oracle would require substantial coordination and new maintenance responsibilities.
- Signals and short-term action: To address residents' immediate concerns, Keesler said staff will try a timing change on La Canada and set traffic signals to a "resting green" during rush hours to reduce unnecessary stops; he asked drivers to report back at the next meeting on whether the change improved travel time.
What remains unresolved
Residents asked for more data-driven studies: where roundabouts would or would not work, whether center turn lanes or right-turn lanes are the right fixes at particular intersections, and how collision counts compare to traffic volume. Staff promised follow-up materials (collision breakdowns and traffic volumes) and to continue the discussion at the next session in two weeks and a follow-up transportation meeting in March.
Next steps
Town staff will provide requested data, proceed with the La Canada signal-timing test and continue design work on the Naranja Drive MUP funded by the federal grant. The working group will reconvene for pedestrian/cyclist safety topics and a third transportation meeting in March.
