Daily Archives: January 15, 2016

Safety improvement project begins next week on SR 169

Posted on by

PRESCOTT — The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a safety improvement project on State Route 169 next week that includes new turn lanes at Cherry Creek Road (milepost 9.3) and Orme Road (milepost 4.5).

Drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes on Monday (Jan. 18) and Tuesday(Jan. 19) between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. near the Cherry Creek intersections as crews set up traffic control and place concrete barrier to provide a safe work zone.

Work hours are from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Once the traffic control and barrier are in place, drivers will have minimal impacts during construction.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel. The speed limit through the work zone will be 45 mph until the project is complete.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1.

This $1.6 million safety improvement project includes widening the existing roadway to provide new turn lanes, drainage improvements, signing and new striping.

For more information about this project, please call Tricia Lewis at 928-606-2420 or email tlewis@azdot.gov.

Tree marking to begin on Williams Ranger District

Posted on by

WILLIAMS — Timber and silviculture staff on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will begin tree marking operations next week and continuing through the spring, between Forest Road 141 (Spring Valley Road), and Forest Road 76 in advance of eventual tree thinning operations to improve forest health conditions.

The area to be marked is part of the 4,400-acre Moonset Task Order, which will eventually be issued for treatment under the 1st Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Environmental Impact Statement. Active forest restoration work will occur once the task order has been issued to a contractor, which is expected in 2017. In the meantime, residents and visitors to the area can expect to see trees and internal boundaries marked with orange paint, which will eventually serve as visual guidance to the contractor regarding Forest Service expectations for treatment.

A portion of the tree marking operations will take place on National Forest land that borders private property. Land owners in these areas may notice an increased number of Forest Service personnel and vehicles in the area over the next few months while tree marking operations are completed.

The objectives for treating the area within the Moonset Task Order are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires and to improve wildlife habitat and overall forest health.

The goal of the 4FRI is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning. Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.

Heavy snow-area traffic expected MLK Day weekend on US 180 near Flagstaff

Posted on by

PHOENIX — Recent snowstorms combined with the long holiday weekend means winter recreation areas along US 180 near Flagstaff are expected to see heavy traffic, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Motorists using US 180 during Martin Luther King Jr./Civil Rights Day weekend should expect a long queue into Flagstaff after popular snow-play areas close between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Making an earlier start back may help motorists avoid the heaviest traffic.

To avoid congestion through Flagstaff, consider taking an alternate snow-play route through the city via the Butler Avenue I-40 exit. Signs direct travelers to and from US 180.

In addition to allowing for extra travel time, visitors should prepare as they would for any extended period in a snowy, icy or cold area, starting with a fully charged cellphone, plenty of fuel, drinking water and winter coats, warm blankets or both.

Don’t pull over on highways or interstates to play in the snow. It’s dangerous for you, other drivers and first responders.

Give snowplows plenty of room, starting with maintaining four car lengths behind a plow. Never pass a snowplow that’s clearing a road.

For more information on preparing for travel in snow country, please visit azdot.gov/knowsnow.

80% chance for up to 2″ of snow today

Posted on by

sno-16-01-12-043WILLIAMS — In the early morning hours only a sliver of blue sky remained as a backdrop to the Three Sisters. That was soon covered by an overcast sky.

According to the latest check, there is an 80% chance of snow today. It could drop as much as 2″ of new snow. Winds could rise to 17-mph this afternoon with gusts as high as 28-mph today and 30-mph tonight.

Saturday is predicted to be cold with wind chill down to zero. The sun and temperatures around the mid-40s are expected for Sunday through Martin Luther King day making the free entry day at the Grand Canyon a definite possibility.

The chance of rain and snow returns again on Tuesday.

While they may close temporarily depending on the weather, Bearizona and the Deer Farm east of Williams generally remain open for visitors to get up close and personal with the wild residents of Arizona.

Remember that, because of the expected low temperatures, ice is possible on the roadways and walkways.Winter-Bearizona16-01-13-010

ADOT projects invest in US 60 corridor east of the Phoenix area

Posted on by

Several projects that are underway or planned during 2016 will significantly upgrade US 60 from Superior to Globe.

In all, the Arizona Department of Transportation has committed nearly $50 million to projects in the corridor, including the addition of a passing lane and wider shoulders as the highway climbs east from Superior, five miles of new divided highway, rockfall mitigation, bridge work and drainage improvements.

As progress continues, including an upcoming project to replace lighting in the Queen Creek Tunnel, motorists traveling between Superior and Globe should plan ahead and be prepared for intermittent closures.

Two improvement projects are currently underway, and a third will start later this month:

A project started in August 2015 is adding a two-mile westbound passing lane between mileposts 231 and 233, widening the shoulder in Devil’s Canyon (mileposts 233-234), improving a bridge at Waterfall Canyon (milepost 229) and making drainage improvements west of Miami (milepost 242). Blasting operations for this project have required occasional closures, usually lasting up to 90 minutes, and these are expected to be needed through the end of April with crews more than halfway through excavating 108,000 cubic yards of earth.

ADOT is widening five miles of US 60 just west of and through Superior, a project that when completed in 2017 will convert the last two-lane stretch between Phoenix and Superior to four-lane divided highway. This work will require some traffic restrictions later this year.

This month, ADOT will add LED lighting to improve visibility in the quarter-mile-long Queen Creek Tunnel, which was built in 1952, as well as new conduit and wiring.

In 2015, ADOT completed a rockfall-mitigation project along mileposts 228-229, where crews removed loose boulders along a rocky and steep section of highway adjacent to the Queen Creek Tunnel.

Agencies unable to recover body

Posted on by

Today’s attempts to recover the body of 29 year old Mathew Kenney, who died while wingsuit flying in Paria Canyon, were unsuccessful.

The Search and Rescue Coordinator continues to meet with assisting agencies to discuss plans and options for a recovery of the body while maintaining the safety of the recovery crew.