Pima County seeks comment on improvements to King Canyon Trailhead parking lot

Pima County, Arizona sent this bulletin at 08/16/2019 03:21 PM MST

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Pima County seeks comment on improvements to King Canyon Trailhead parking lot

PIMA COUNTY, Aug. 16, 2019 -- Pima County Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration-Central Federal Lands Highway Division (FHWA-CFLHD) is seeking public comment through Aug. 30 on improvements to the King Canyon Trailhead parking lot and access to Kinney Road.

The King Canyon Trailhead is located off Kinney Road within Tucson Mountain Park, west of Tucson and adjacent to Saguaro National Park. The proposed project would reconstruct the King Canyon Trailhead parking area to accommodate up to 30 parking spaces and would pave the parking area.

Comments are requested on or before August 30, 2019, and may be sent to: Seth Wilcher, Environmental Protection Specialist, Central Federal Lands Highway Division, Suite 380, Lakewood, CO 80228 or Seth.Wilcher@dot.gov. View the project map on the NRPR website.

Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation maintains the trailhead. The County’s Department of Transportation will perform the work, which will be funded with federal dollars.

The project would also improve sight distance from the parking lot to Kinney Road by cutting back the existing slope on the north side of Kinney Road west of the parking lot entrance. To further optimize sight distance, and improve the vertical profile entering the parking lot, the entrance to the parking lot would be moved approximately 25 feet east to the crest of the existing Kinney Road profile grade.

The existing gravel parking area is approximately one-third acre in size. The proposed improvements would result in up to half an acre of permanent incorporation of Tucson Mountain Park property into the trailhead parking area. The King Canyon Trailhead parking area would be temporarily closed during construction to maintain a safe work area; however, the King Canyon Trail would remain accessible through other access points in the existing trail system within Saguaro National Park.

All work would occur within existing Pima County right of way, and Tucson Mountain Park would retain maintenance responsibility within park boundaries. All efforts to avoid and minimize harm have been incorporated into the project.

MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Anderson, planning division manager, Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Steve.Anderson@pima.gov, 520-724-5225

Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation operates and maintains 49 parks, 25 trailheads, 13 community centers, nine pools, seven dog parks, six shooting, archery, and clay target ranges, five BMX/Skate Parks, The Loop, three equestrian arenas, hundreds of miles of trails for recreational pleasure, and more than 250,000 acres of conservation lands open to outdoor recreation pursuits. NRPR also provides recreational and environmental educational programs for all age groups.