Araby opening south of 32nd Street

When it's finished a year from now, State Route 195 should help make commercial trade between the United States and Mexico easier, transportation planners say.

But there will be more immediate benefits for some residents when a three-mile section of the highway opens up Tuesday afternoon.

That stretch will provide another road for residents in the area of County 14th Street to choose from when traveling to and from Yuma, said Lucy Shipp, spokeswoman in Yuma for the Arizona Department of Transportation.

State Route 195, also known locally as the Area Service Highway and the Robert Vaughan Expressway, is scheduled to open for travel between 32nd Street and County 14th.

"This gives them a nice four-lane road to come back into town," Shipp said.

Many of those residents have been taking either Avenue 3E or 5E to travel between home and the city, she said.

South of County 14th, the highway remains closed to vehicles, Shipp said.

The three-mile highway stretch is scheduled to open at 1 p.m. Tuesday, at which time workers will remove traffic cones that direct Araby's southbound traffic into the left- or right-turn lanes onto 32nd Street, Shipp said, adding that the traffic signal will be reprogrammed to regulate four-way travel.

"We're definitely making progress on the Area Service Highway," said Shipp.

When completed, the four-lane highway will connect a planned commercial port of entry at San Luis, Ariz., with Interstate 8. The highway and the port are intended to speed the flow of commercial truck traffic between the United States and Mexico, enabling Yuma County to benefit more from free trade.

The highway will begin at the port, proceed east on what is currently County 23rd Street to the western boundary of the Goldwater range, turn north and continue along the range boundary before tying into the intersection of Araby Road and 32nd Street. It then follows Araby up to I-8.

The final phase of highway construction is scheduled to begin Monday and be completed in September 2009, ADOT has said. The commercial port also is scheduled to be completed at that time.

Construction updates are available from the project phone line, 317-2163