Hilton Ranch Community Organization

We who live in the Hilton Ranch Rd community are very aware of the hazards on SR83, we have seen many accidents over the years and have seen many of the victims airlifted to the hospitals in Tucson. The typical traffic consists of residents, school buses (15 per day), motorcyclists, bicyclists, and other tourists. In addition SR83 is currently used to route oversized loads unable to pass under the Marsh Station bridge. The Arizona Department of Transportation mentioned this problem and suggested fixing the Marsh Station bridge to eliminate these oversized loads and reduce truck traffic on the scenic highway. Unfortunately this has still not been completed.

We have gathered statistics from the ADOT on reported traffic accidents and fatalities on SR 83 from I-10 to milepost 42 over the last 5 years. We also asked for the number of oversized load permits issued for SR 83 in 2007 as well as the load capacity the road was built for.

From 3/1/2002 to 2/28/2007 there were 148 accidents on with 5 fatalities from I-10 to milepost 42 (a 16 mile long stretch). Four of the 5 fatalities were at milepost 44 and one at the I-10 junction with SR 83. 14 accidents were at mileposts 46 and 47, the area Rosemont's access is at. In 2007, 663 special permits were issued on SR 83, most routing the loads from I-10 to SR 83 to 82, to 90 to I-10 or visa versa. 10 accidents were reported at mileposts 49 and 50. This is the location of a blind sharp curve with access to Hilton Ranch Rd 100 ft from the curve. It's very hazardous. Click here to see accident report, click here to see oversize permits

Here is information from the Federal Highway Administration on SR83 from a report date 8/29/2007.

STATUS: SR 83 at MP 44 asphalt pavement consists of two 11-12 ft travel lanes (one NB and one SB) and 0 - 4 ft variable shoulder widths on each side. SR 83 is a two lane highway with 1,200 vehicles per day in each of the northbound and southbound directions. This Pima County rural roadway accommodates 8% trucks with an average annual daily traffic count of 950 vehicles (2005). SR 83 is a fairly curvilinear route, which winds its way through some of the most scenic, high-country vistas throughout the entire southern Arizona, Coronado National Forest region. Nevertheless, this particular highway segment also ranks first among roadways locations experiencing motorcycle-related collisions, and eighth highest for run-off-road accidents in the State of Arizona (2005). Accordingly, a safety enhancement project for this site recently finished the scoping phase, is currently in design development, and scheduled to enter the construction phase during fiscal year 2009. The proposed project will widen existing roadway shoulders, improve motorist sight distance, provide side-slope flattening and install new signing and striping improvements. Read the full report http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fivepercent/07az.htm

Estimated Construction Cost: $1,616,000 (1.5 miles)
Implementation Impediments: Construction staging coordination.

Augusta Resources estimates approximately 4 trucks per hour 24 hours per day 7 days a week. They also claim that they will not transport material during peak travel times.

Following is a Forest Service comment given verbally at the Sahaurita Open House June 7, 2008

(Note all accident data, oversize and overweight permit data were provided by the ADOT)

State Route 83 has been proposed as the primary access route for the Rosemont mine.

On Sept 20, 1985 Highway 83 became the second highway in Arizona to be designated a scenic byway by the ADOT. It is a winding two lane road with numerous guard rails, few shoulders, narrow lanes, and spectacular views. Travelers along 83 can see the numerous skid marks, and damaged guardrails that are prevalent throughout the journey and are indicative of the number of accidents that occur.

From March 1, 2002 to February 28, 2007 the ADOT recorded 148 accidents from I-10 to milepost 42, a sixteen-mile long stretch. This is nearly 2 accidents per mile, per year. Half of the accidents involved injuries, there were 5 fatalities. 7 of the accidents involved alcohol, 0 involved drugs. The typical traffic consists of tourists, nature buffs, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and recreation vehicles. It is also used daily by residents, and school buses

I have traveled State route 83 daily for over 10 years and have witnessed many accident scenes and helicopter rescues.

The Arizona DPS has forced me off the road dozens of times to make room for wide and oversized loads. ADOT records show 663 permitted loads on highway 83 in 2007 alone. It is currently used to route oversized loads traveling on I-10 and unable to pass under the Marsh Station bridge, or too heavy to transport over the Davidson canyon bridge.

The additional traffic from the 500 workers proposed by Rosemont, the 180 trips by their ore haulers per day, and the other trucks transporting hazardous materials to the mine will turn highway 83 into a death trap.

I propose that Highway 83 should not be used for the Rosemont Mines primary access. The better and safer alternative is to use Santa Rita Road as the primary access to the mine.

Before Highway 83 could be designated the primary access road I propose a study be performed to identify changes to make it safe. Modifications recommended in the study should be completed prior to the mines opening. If it cannot be made safe then another route should be used.

At a minimum, the study should consider:

Redesign of the I-10/Highway 83 interchange.
The widening of highway 83 to 4 lanes to allow passing, handle the increased traffic and support the heavy loads without requiring frequent maintenance.
Improvements to I-10 to eliminate the need to use Highway 83 for oversized and overweight loads.
Communications should be improved along highway 83 so accidents can be reported and rescue performed in a timely manner. Cellular service is not available now, but would be the best solution.
Access for rescue helicopters should be considered.
Training and equipment to handle hazardous materials should be provided to our firefighters on an ongoing basis.
Increased traffic from the proposed Portland Cement mine, and the Passages of Tucson should also be considered. The Passages of Tucson will contain a resort, a hospital, an office center, and shopping complexes. When these are completed they will greatly increase the public and commercial traffic using the I-10/SR83 interchange.