Voters were asked to extend the regional half-cent sales tax and approve another 20-year package of road, transit, safety and mobility projects.
Archive note: This report was prepared for Tucson Ahead’s 2026 launch archive using contemporaneous public records and reporting. The date reflects the underlying news event.
What happened
Early voting opened in the Regional Transportation Authority election, placing two linked questions before Pima County voters: whether to continue the half-cent transportation sales tax and whether to approve the RTA Next project plan. The existing program, approved in 2006, was scheduled to expire at the end of June 2026 after funding road, transit, intersection, pedestrian and bicycle improvements across the region.
Why it matters in Tucson
The choice affected far more than major road construction. The regional tax supports Sun Tran services, safety improvements and projects in Tucson, suburban municipalities, unincorporated communities and tribal areas. Because sales taxes consume a larger share of lower-income household budgets, the public value of the program depends on whether its transit and safety benefits are distributed broadly.
What to watch next
The plan should be tracked project by project, including promised delivery dates, cost escalation, jurisdictional contributions and changes made after voter approval. Regional oversight will be especially important when construction costs rise or projects compete for limited revenue.
Source and verification: View the underlying report or public record. Tucson Ahead independently rewrote and contextualized this article; no source article text or publisher-owned photography was republished.