Sam Kmack Tucson’s road widening project on East Broadway has been delayed for the third time since it began two years ago, according to officials who said it’s now more than six months behind schedule.
“I’m just sick of shaking my fist at the sky at this point,” said Rocco DiGrazia, the owner of Rocco's Little Chicago, a pizza restaurant that’s been caught in the middle of the road work since 2020. “It's frustrating, I don’t know what to do. What do I do except come to work, open the doors and hope somebody comes in to eat today?”
On top of that, the city had to replace about three miles of storm drain before repaving could begin, the pandemic caused construction staffing shortages and road work was nearly impossible to do during parts of last year’s heavy monsoon season. “My sense is that the civil engineering pieces — the below-grade stuff, the piping, the utilities — should have been determined early on,” he said. “So, I’m not buying that one because from a construction management standpoint that’s stuff that you don’t learn in the top of the eighth inning. You learn that in the second or third inning when you’re doing your due diligence.”
Regardless of the reasons for the delays, the timing couldn’t be worse for restaurants like Rocco’s Little Chicago that took financial hits during the pandemic that they’re still recovering from. DiGrazia said he doesn’t know how some of the more affected businesses in the area are “even paying their bills,” for instance.