Omni/Canada del Oro Wash Riverpark Project

The May 2004 General Bond Election provided $5 million for linear parks on the Canada Del Oro (CDO) Wash between Thornydale Road and the north end of Omni/Tucson National Golf Course. Pima County Regional Flood Control District (District) has completed construction plans for the first phase of this project, a linear park on the east bank of the CDO from Magee to the north end of Omni/Tucson National at La Cholla Blvd. The linear park is on the east side of the CDO based on an agreement between Omni/Tucson National and Pima County that provides Pima County the right-of-way to construct the linear park.

Phase 1 of the linear park will consist of approximately 1.4 miles of paved pathway, on top of the existing soil cement bank protection. An eight-foot-high masonry screen/retaining and flood wall and an eight-foot-high metal fence will define and separate the golf course and residents of Tucson National from the linear park. The masonry wall is a security and safety feature that will help protect park users from misdirected golf balls. A landscape buffer will be provided on the golf course side protecting as many of the existing large trees as possible. Handrail will be provided for 2.4 miles along the top of the soil cement bank protection for both banks of the CDO under this project. New landscaping and irrigation will be provided on the linear park side of the boundary. As part of this project, 112 new trees, 730 new shrubs, 996 vines and other small plants and 107 new cacti will be planted. The linear park will traverse under the three Omni/Tucson National golf cart bridges on the CDO. Other features of the linear park include two pedestrian refuge areas, and the widening of the box culvert by 27 feet at La Cholla so that equestrian riders can access the CDO river bottom at the north end of Omni/Tucson National.

Wood/Patel was selected by the District to lead the project and to design the pathway, masonry screening-retaining-flood wall and other civil engineering features. Sage Environmental will design the landscape features, plants, pedestrian refuge area, and developed the environmental mitigation plan for the project.

Construction of Phase 1 is to began in June, 2008, and is expected to last for six to nine months. The masonry wall, handrail,and pathway are complete as of December 2008, with irrigation, landscaping and minor cleanup occurring expected to be substantially complete by the end of January 2009. Falcone Brothers Construction Company was selected for this construction project with a total estimated cost of $2,418,138.

The second phase of the CDO linear park project will provide linear park improvements along the east bank of the CDO from Thornydale to Magee. The second phase is currently under design and is tentatively schedule to begin construction in the summer of 2009.