Tag Archives: Hell Canyon

Old State Route 89 bridge over Hell Canyon to be removed

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old-hell-canyon-bridgeCHINO VALLEY — The 62-year-old State Route 89 bridge at Hell Canyon will be removed this Friday, September 16.

The Arizona Department of Transportation replaced the 1954 bridge, which no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, earlier this year. The new bridge is better able to accommodate commercial traffic, particularly oversized loads, between Prescott and Interstate 40.

Crews began dismantling the old bridge in August by removing the bridge deck. In the next step, contractors will use an implosion technique that causes the bridge girders to melt and allows the structure to collapse onto itself.

Motorists traveling on SR 89 between Prescott and Interstate 40 should expect delays of up to 30 minutes on Sept. 16 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Drivers may consider changing the time of their travel or consider alternate routes, including I-17 and I-40 through Flagstaff or US 93.

The new Hell Canyon Bridge, located about 18 miles north of Chino Valley between Prescott and Ash Fork, carries about 3,400 vehicles each day.

The new $14.4 million bridge is 665 feet long and 47 feet wide – 65 feet longer and 17 feet wider than the structure it replaces – and has added strength from a fourth span. It has 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders in each direction, allowing it to better accommodate oversized loads.

New SR 89 bridge at Hell Canyon opens to traffic

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New and old bridges over Hell Canyon.

New and old bridges over Hell Canyon.

CHINO VALLEY — The new State Route 89 bridge at Hell Canyon is longer, wider and better able to accommodate commercial traffic between Prescott and Interstate 40 than the 62-year-old span it replaces.

The Arizona Department of Transportation opened the $14.4 million bridge to traffic Thursday, June 23, after 13 months of work.

“SR 89 between Prescott and I-40 is not only an important commuter route between central and northern Arizona, but is also a key strategic detour route, when there are closures to I-17, I-40, and US 93,” ADOT Northwest District Engineer Alvin Stump said. “The new bridge will help ensure that SR 89 can continue to provide these critical transportation needs, including oversized commercial loads.”

The Hell Canyon Bridge, located about 18 miles north of Chino Valley between Prescott and Ash Fork, will carry about 3,400 vehicles each day.

The first bridge over Hell Canyon was a concrete arch structure built in 1923 as part of what was then the Prescott to Ash Fork Highway. That bridge was abandoned in 1954, when the 89 alignment moved west and the just-replaced bridge was completed.

The new bridge is 665 feet long and 47 feet wide – 65 feet longer and 17 feet wider than the structure it replaces – and has added strength from a fourth span. It has 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders in each direction, allowing it to better accommodate oversized loads.

The 1954 bridge, which no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, will be dismantled over the next three months.

New bridge at Hell Canyon on SR 89 opens Thursday night

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The new bridge at Hell Canyon on State Route 89 at milepost 345 will open to traffic on Thursday (June 23) by midnight. Minimal impacts are expected.

For the past year, crews have been working on a new $14.4 million improvement project which included the construction a new four-span steel-plate girder bridge to the east of the existing bridge. The removal of the existing three-span steel deck truss bridge is expected to occur in mid-July.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

UPDATE: Four-hour closure CANCELED on SR 89 at Hell Canyon due to weather

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CHINO VALLEY — Due to the anticipated inclement weather on Friday (May 6), crews have canceled the scheduled deck pour on the new bridge on State Route 89 at Hell Canyon (milepost 345). The closure of SR 89, scheduled for tomorrow night between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m., will not occur and has been rescheduled for Friday (May 13) starting at 9 p.m. through Saturday (May 14) at 1 a.m.

Drivers traveling next week on Friday night into Saturday morning need to plan ahead, as the road will be closed in both directions. Law enforcement will be on site to assist with the road closure.

As preparations take place leading up to the closure, crews will have SR 89 narrowed to one lane through the work zone from 6 p.m. on Friday night to 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Minimal delays are expected.

The project is expected to be complete by late summer.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Four-hour closure scheduled Friday night on SR 89 at Hell Canyon, weather permitted

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CHINO VALLEY — As progress continues on the new bridge over Hell Canyon on State Route 89 (milepost 346), approximately 13 miles north of Chino Valley, crews will need to close the road to pour concrete on the bridge deck Friday (May 6) between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Drivers traveling on SR 89 Friday night into Saturday morning need to plan ahead as the road will be closed in both directions. Law enforcement will be on site to assist with the road closure.

As preparations take place leading up to the closure, crews will have SR 89 narrowed to one lane through the work zone from 6 p.m. on Friday night to 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Minimal delays are expected.

The next milestone for the bridge replacement project will be to open the new bridge to two-way traffic in mid-June.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Intermittent closures scheduled for bridge work on SR 89 at Hell Canyon

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Crews are expected to work on the bridge structure on State Route 89 at Hell Canyon (mileposts 345 to 346) that will require intermittent closures of up to 10 minutes at a time starting on Tuesday (April 12) through Thursday (April 14) between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Traffic will be guided through the work zone with flaggers as SR 89 will be reduced to one lane on the bridge.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

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 511.

SR 89 reduced to one lane at Hell Canyon tomorrow for bridge work

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hell canyonState Route 89 north of Prescott at Hell Canyon (milepost 345) will be narrowed to a single lane from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 13 as crews repair potholes on the existing bridge deck.

The lane closure will provide a safe work zone and drivers will be delayed for up to 20 minutes at a time.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Hell Canyon bridge replacement to begin this month north of Paulden

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hell canyonPAULDEN — While the Arizona Department of Transportation completed interim repairs to the Hell Canyon Bridge in 2013, the agency moved forward with plans to design a new bridge along State Route 89 in Yavapai County that would ultimately replace the aging and narrow bridge that does not meet today’s design standards. Two years later, ADOT will start construction on Tuesday, July 14 on a modernized bridge that will replace the current bridge when completed.

The existing nearly 600-foot-long bridge, which was built in 1954, is located 18 miles north of Chino Valley at milepost 346 and serves as a key connection linking Prescott and northern Arizona (Interstate 40 in Ash Fork).

The $14.4 million improvement project will include constructing a new four-span steel-plate girder bridge to the east of the existing bridge and removing the existing three-span steel deck truss bridge, which has been classified as structurally deficient by bridge inspectors. The current bridge is safe; however, some needed repairs or improvements have been identified during bridge inspections.

The new 665-foot-long two-lane bridge will feature wider travel lanes and will be approximately 47 feet wide, more than 17 feet wider than the current bridge. The bridge will also accommodate heavier loads, ensuring commercial trucks can conveniently carry goods and produce to their final destinations, particularly when I-40 traffic is diverted onto SR 89 during serious crashes.

There will be limited traffic impacts to motorists during construction because traffic will remain on the existing bridge, while work progresses on constructing the new bridge east of the current bridge.

The first phase of the project, which is expected to take up to 12 months to complete, will include construction of the new bridge as well as temporary access roads along the north and south sides of the canyon to assist with bridge construction and removal.

Daytime blasting operations, which will begin at 9 a.m. July 14, will be required for the construction of the access roads and intermittent closures will be necessary during that time. Delays of up to 20 minutes are possible until blasting operations are completed by the end of next month. ADOT will send advance notice to the public when any closure dates are finalized.

After the new bridge is completed, traffic will be switched to the new bridge. The existing Hell Canyon Bridge will then be dismantled and removed, which is expected to take up to three months. Additional road construction/realignment will be necessary to the north and south of the new bridge.

ADOT issues report and asks for comments on Hell Canyon Bridge

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Hell Canyon Bridge is a steel three-span cantilevered Pratt deck truss with riveted connections. It has a total length of 585’ - 6”, and a width of 35’ - 4”, with a 30’ - wide roadway. - ADOT photo

Hell Canyon Bridge is a steel three-span cantilevered Pratt deck truss with riveted connections. It has a total length of 585’ – 6”, and a width of 35’ – 4”, with a 30’ – wide roadway. – ADOT photo

hell-canyon-bridge-01The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have completed a Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation and Approval for FHWA Projects that Necessitate the Use of Historic Bridges report for the Hell Canyon Bridge project located on State Route 89 at milepost 345.70, Yavapai County 18-miles north of Chino Valley and south of Ash Fork, Arizona.

The report states that the bridge no longer meets minimum FHWA standards. The bridge across Hell Canyon, “…is structurally deficient and is functionally obsolete which rehabilitation cannot address.” Cited examples include the bridge not being wide enough and the inability to handle heavy loads. The bridge also qualifies to be placed in the Arizona Historic Bridge Inventory. That will have to be sorted out before the bridge can be destructed.

The report explains three options used to determine the best course of action: Do nothing, build on new location without using the current bridge or restoration preserving historic status. The first was rejected because it does not bring the bridge up to FHWA standards. The third would still require some reconstruction to widen the bridge and replace the superstructure which would eliminate the historic integrity.

The favored plan is to build a new bridge alongside of the old one and destroy the old bridge. The reason given for destroying the old bridge is that neither ADOT nor Prescott National Forest intends to build a rest stop in the area. In addition there are no bicycle or pedestrian trails in the project area which could utilize the old bridge. The rest area/overlook of Hell Canyon has been closed for several years.

Hell Canyon Bridge will be removed and replaced with a new bridge as part of this project, thus causing impact to a Section 4(f) property. A 103-page pdf of the Section 4(f) report as well as other project information are available at the ADOT web site.

Please send these comments September 8, 2014. Comments can be sent directly to the project team via phone at 602.458.7478, via e-mail at ddunn@aztec.us, and via mail at 4561 E. McDowell Rd, Phoenix AZ 85008.