State Route 89A reopened in Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks

PHOENIX — State Route 89A in the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks (mileposts 387-390) was fully reopened yesterday after crews repaired a sinkhole that had been discovered in the northbound lane on Saturday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The southbound lane was reopened at 10:30 a.m. today. There are no restrictions to either south- or northbound travel through the SR 89A switchbacks from Sedona to Flagstaff now that the repairs have been completed.

ADOT started the repairs after geotechnical engineers completed an inspection Monday that determined the repairs could start immediately. Crews used heavy equipment to excavate a six-foot deep, eight-foot-wide section of the roadway to remove loose material underneath the pavement near milepost 388.

Today, ADOT repaved the northbound lane after filling the void with a liquid concrete-cement mix that needed to harden overnight before work could begin.

“ADOT staff responded quickly to this unplanned closure by removing the loose material that was causing the pavement to settle, filling the hole, and repaving this section of damaged highway after a field inspection Monday morning determined we could start the sinkhole repairs immediately on State Route 89A,” said ADOT Flagstaff District Engineer Audra Merrick. “While this was certainly unexpected, I’m glad we were able to limit the traffic impact as much as possible to motorists who rely on this critical roadway to travel between Sedona and Flagstaff.”