Background

Air quality in San Luis Rio Colorado is affected by airborne dust (PM10) generated by several sources, including unpaved roads which account for approximately 76% of the roadway surface in the city, as well as dust generated by roads in poor condition.1 Strong prevailing winds and heavy traffic volumes due to population growth and cross-border traffic
exacerbate the situation. Although there is no official air quality monitoring in San Luis Rio Colorado, the neighboring U.S. community of Yuma County has been designated as a non-attainment area for PM10. Since the communities share the same air basin, air quality conditions in San Luis Rio Colorado are likely to be very similar.

One of the priority development activities in the Municipality’s Urban Development Plan is the implementation of paving programs to improve connectivity throughout the community. The Municipality has made continuous investments to address paving deficiencies throughout the
city. For 2013, planned paving investments are expected to cover a total surface area of almost 775,000 m2 (8.3 million ft2), of which approximately 360,000 m2 are included in the proposed project.

The proposed project will help reduce the backlog of unpaved roads in several zones of the city, improve roadway connectivity, and rehabilitate the most heavily trafficked roads in the downtown area. In particular, the interconnection of several main thoroughfares will provide easier access to the university and direct routes for delivery of agricultural products
from the San Luis Valley (southwest of the city) to the downtown area and the commercial port-of-entry (on the northeast side).

Description

The Project consists of first-time road paving and rehabilitation of existing roadways, and includes the following components:

• 235,200 m2 (2.5 million ft2) or approximately 17.1 km (10.6
  miles) of new paving;
• 124,800 m2 (1.3 million ft2) or approximately 7.6 km (4.7 miles)
  of paving rehabilitation in the downtown area; and two bridges across existing irrigation canals.

Benefits

Street paving and improved urban mobility will help reduce air pollution caused by vehicular dust and traffic congestion, thus improving respiratory health conditions for local residents. Reducing PM10 in the region is also expected to help Yuma County improve conditions
influencing its designation as a non-attainment area for this pollutant. It is estimated that the project will reduce PM10 emissions by an estimated 99.7% in the direct project area, which equates to 185.6 metric tons/year.2 Additional direct benefits to the local community include facilitating access to emergency, security and other public services;
reducing travel times; and fostering economic development.