A new wildlife crossing may be coming to Pima County. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at their Sept. 3 meeting to approve an exception to the county’s Multi-Species Conservation Plan to allow construction on a property near I-10 near Marana.
The first step is to build a ramp up the Santa Cruz River bed, replacing the levy.
Pima County’s Reigonal Flood Control District owns the part of the Santa Cruz river where the ramp is going.
As it exists right now, the slope of the levy is a little bit too steep to be accessible to the wide variety of wildlife that will use this area, said Camille Hal, Community Engagement Manager for the county’s Flood Control District.
This ramp would be the first step in Pima County Conservation Lands and Resources Department’s plan to make a wildlife corridor. That means connecting animals from the Tortolita Mountains to those in the Tucson Mountains with a safe passage way over I-10.
They plan to start by connecting the Santa Cruz ramp to an underpass then will
Pima County Regional Flood District plans to start construction in October of this year.