Safety improvements planned for Juan Sanchez Boulevard
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Traffic lanes in both directions on Juan Sanchez Boulevard will be better marked with raised markers and pavement grooves as part of efforts to promote safer travel on one of the city’s busiest roads.
The San Luis City Council on Wednesday approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation that will free up up to $318,374 in federal grant funds for road improvements along a 4-1/2mile stretch of Juan Sanchez.
Pavement grooves will be cut into the center portion of the road to warn distracted drivers that their vehicles are crossing into the path of oncoming motorists, while raised reflective markers will be placed along the road striping to better mark the lanes.
The project, which also includes additional traffic signs, will take place along the two-lane stretch of the boulevard between 10th Avenue to Avenue E, where Juan Sanchez links up with the four-lane State Route 195.
“We think that is going to help a lot with traffic safety on Juan Sanchez Boulevard,” San Luis Public Works Director Eulogio Vera said. “ADOT uses those grooves on many highways because they are very effective in preventing (a vehicle) from crossing over another lane or leaving the roadway.”
The work will be paid for with a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, said Vera, and will not require matching funds from the city, because the stretch of roadway that will be upgraded is classified as a rural highway.
The project is scheduled to begin sometime this year, once the final cost of the work has been calculated and after a contractor has been selected among competitive bidders. ADOT will administer the project.
At the same time the work is taking place, a traffic study will take place to determine if the city should prohibit cars from passing one another on the same stretch or roadway, as an additional safety measure, Vera said, adding that study will be paid for with city funds.
San Luis City Council members welcomed the improvements on Juan Sanchez, where at least three fatal traffic accidents have occurred during the last five years. Nonetheless, council members said the best long-term solution to safety concerns is to widen the boulevard to five lanes between Main Street and Avenue E.
Vera said the city will look into the possibility of seeking additional funds to widen the roadway. He said the city previously looked at applying for a federal grant to do the work two years ago, but did not follow through with the application because it would have required local matching funds that the city didn’t have available.
Today, he said, the local match would be minimal, because much of the roadway is classified as a rural highway. Vera said he believes the widening would be highly eligible for funding, given the frequency of accidents that have occurred on Juan Sanchez, and given its importance in connecting the city’s two border crossings with one another.