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The town is implementing its new speed limit map over the next three months. Officials say the three-phase approach will make the town safer by simplifying speed limit zones and correcting speed limit inconsistencies.

Last week, officials added changes to seven segments of Marana roadways, including Moore and Sandario roads. Speed limits are going up or down by 10 mph in some areas, officials said in a news release.

Between April and May, Marana road crews will tackle seven more road segments, like Tangerine Road near Interstate 10, and Thornydale and Cortaro roads.

With fewer roads in Marana, engineers in its public works department were able to identify each of the segments and make the appropriate changes.

Meanwhile, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s traffic engineers dealing with many more roadways take a different approach to get motorists to slow down.

Recently they identified the need to change specific speed limits to the East Valencia and South Kolb roads area.

“We don’t really have a program right now where we’re proactively evaluating speed limits across the region or the city,â€� said Blake Olofson, a ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Department of Transportation engineer. But the department tries to address speeding concerns during some road projects, he said.

“As far as managing speeds, we do a lot of resurfacing projects through Prop. 101 and 409 and that gives us an opportunity to remark the lanes and we find that narrowing the lanes by one foot or so can really have an effect on lower speeds,� Olofson said.

Olofson added that this can be more effective than changing a speed limit sign.

The department also uses landscaping. For example, moving trees closer to the edge of the road tends to work in making drivers more alert and more likely to slow down, he says.

“You’re going to slow down naturally because you want to be able to react, if you need to, if someone’s encroaching in your lane, and it’s not really something that you think about while you’re driving, but we see it clearly that when the lanes are narrower, speeds tend to slow,� Olofson said.

Most recently the Houghton Road corridor received these type of changes as roadway redesigns are made amid the development of housing, retail and schools in the area, he said.

“The Houghton road corridor is a good example as that road used to be two lanes in each direction. I believe it was 50 miles an hour,� said Olofson. “Now we’ve redesigned that road and it’s going to be coming in segments, but it’s going to be three lanes in each direction from I-10 all the way up to Speedway. We call it a target speed design, so that will be 45 miles an hour, I believe.�

Months earlier, the speed limits along West Anklam Road near Tumamoc Hill and Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s west side also were lowered due to high activity in the area.

The department has been using the Complete Streets policy, which requires equitable treatment of infrastructure, and Move ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, the ongoing transportation and mobility master plan, to identify where roads can be improved.

Enhancements will include the use of more technology.

“The traffic engineering division is going to be looking at signal timing, so we can sort of dictate a target speed along a corridor.� Olofson said.

“If we can get the word out that, ‘Hey, this certain corridor is timed for 30 miles an hour,’ there’s no reason to race ahead to the next signal and wait,� he said. “That would go a long way to managing speed and improving safety in the city.�

Down the Road

• Closures planned for Ajo Way: Motorists should expect full nighttime closures on Ajo Way between the Santa Cruz River Bridge and Holiday Isle Boulevard this week.

The road will be closed Wednesday through Friday, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Irvington, Silverlake and Mission roads, as well as Interstate 19, can be used as alternate routes.

• I-10 closures in Pinal County for the rest of 2020: Motorists using I-10 in Pinal County between Casa Grande and Chandler should expect possible delays through 2020.

An improvement project between Casa Blanca Road and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 387 will cause restrictions from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays.

Crews are narrowing I-10 to one lane in two-mile segments during the project, which will likely causing delays of up to 20 minutes.