Outdoor enthusiasts and trail users can be pleased as Pima County's popular Chuck Huckelberry Loop has reopened, arriving sooner than expected. After construction-related closures that started in June, the Pima County Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) has strengthened the Cañada del Oro levee and has now reopened the renovated section of the trail.
The original timeline projected that enhancements to the Loop would extend until November, but contractors quickly progressed through the repaving and restriping work from La Cañada to Oracle, leading to an early completion of the project. "We know Loop users will appreciate the ride of fresh asphalt," stated Deirdre LaRochelle in the county's announcement, RFCD's engineering and landscape architecture division manager recently highlighted the coordinated efforts made to reduce public inconvenience.
The levee upgrade was prompted by concerns over increased sediment from the 2020 Bighorn Fire, which clogged the wash and heightened flood risks for nearby homes and businesses. In response, the RFCD identified the most vulnerable areas and implemented protective measures, including berms, flood walls, and a new asphalt surface to meet FEMA's safety standards.
According to the Pima County, Certain sections of the beloved Loop are situated on the levee itself, with its foundation rooted in the soil-cement bank protection that Pima County began constructing along the Rillito and Santa Cruz Rivers in the 1980s. "We appreciate the hard work of our contractor, KE&G Construction Inc., to get the project done ahead of schedule," LaRochelle expressed.
