Aug. 12, 2021
Rain Delays Tumamoc Hill Roadwork, Closure to Aug. 24-26
TUCSON, Ariz. — Heavy rainfall has delayed road maintenance on Tumamoc Hill, a popular recreation site on Tucson's west side. University of Arizona officials delayed the work to reseal and restripe the 1.5-mile road connecting Anklam Road to the hill's summit until Aug. 24-26. The roadwork had originally been scheduled to take place this week.
Crews will close the road at 10 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23, with reopening planned for 4 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, weather permitting. The road should open in time for the Tucson Indian Center's 20th Annual Social Pow-wow Tumamoc Hill Challenge scheduled for Aug. 28.
"While we welcome the prolific monsoon, all this rain has meant crews have been unable to seal the road surface or to paint new lines," said Clark Reddin, director of operations for Tumamoc Hill. "We hope by pushing back the project two weeks, the road will have sufficient time to dry out. It's important to ensure we can properly protect the university's investment and keep this community asset in top condition."
The University of Arizona, with significant support from the community, repaved the road up Tumamoc Hill in 2018. The 860-acre ecological reserve on Tumamoc Hill is owned and operated by the University of Arizona in partnership with Pima County. The Desert Laboratory opened in 1903 and joined the list of U.S. National Historical Landmarks in 1976. Public access hours for the road are normally 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Media contact:
Clark Reddin
Tumamoc Hill
creddin@email.arizona.edu
The University of Arizona, a land-grant university with two independently accredited medical schools, is one of the nation's top 40 public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as a student-centric university and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. The university ranked in the top 20 in 2019 in research expenditures among all public universities, according to the National Science Foundation, and is a leading Research 1 institution with $734 million in annual research expenditures. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 66 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. It benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually. For the latest on the University of Arizona response to the novel coronavirus, visit the university's COVID-19 webpage.