A grassroots organization is working on a project that would add a lane for pedestrians, bicyclists and other users on Highway 80 near downtown Bisbee, but the estimated costs have skyrocketed due to the war with Iran that has led to much higher gasoline prices.
Meggen Connolley is the executive director of Bisbee Bikeways, which has been working with numerous people and entities such as the City of Bisbee and the Arizona Department of Transportation, to turn a dream into reality.
"This is a perfect example of being affected right here in our small town of Bisbee by what's going on over in the middle east. It's really unfortunate," Connolley says.
Their goal is to provide a safer alternative for people who don't have a car, can't drive or prefer not do so on the stretch around the Lavender Pit mine that connects historic Bisbee to the Warren neighborhood and beyond.
"People have been severely injured, one person was hit and put in a coma for three days. Since I started this project [in 2018] all these stories are coming out of the woodwork. A lot of them weren't ever reported, so that's part of the problem," she adds.
A community fundraising effort resulted in millions of dollars being acquired to get the construction underway.
This included a major grant, but as the groundbreaking got closer, the numbers shifted unexpectedly.
"We finally got this posted for bids and they came a million dollars over the engineer's estimate which was completed in December and this came back in April," she says.
"What I was told is that projects all over the country from this funding are being affected by this situation and we're actually among the luckier in terms of the cost overrun being only a million. There's quite a few others that I heard about that were three or four million dollars over."
The goal now is to raise a million dollars while looking at cost-saving measures that could be implemented without altering the plans too much.
The stretch around the Lavender Pit is part of a plan for a 27-mile network that would connect Bisbee to Naco, Arizona on the US- Mexico border and provide a non-motorized option for people who can't or would rather not drive on that stretch.
Supporters says it's a great way to provide recreational and exercising options for users, improve the area's connectivity, and attract tourism which would help improve the economy with increased visitation numbers.
"I'm optimistic, staying positive. Hopefully the costs don't escalate insanely again to the point where we can't just do it. We'll see. That's the wildcard in this situation and it's definitely affecting a lot of people's lives. Not just my project but other things, of course," Connolley says.
"We do have some pledges for donations. We haven't gotten them in hand yet but definitely, every donation helps."
