Tag Archives: Oak Creek

Crews continue pavement repairs on northern Arizona highways

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews are continuing pavement repairs along northern Arizona highways after winter storms.

Next week, crews will lay asphalt over existing pavement to smooth sections of Interstate 40 at milepost 156 westbound and continue this work between mileposts 169 and 172 eastbound, about 10 miles east of Williams. Patch work and asphalt overlays also will continue on State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon.

Potholes can pop up quickly when moisture seeps into and below asphalt, which in northern Arizona can be stressed by the combination of freezing overnight temperatures and daytime thawing. The Flagstaff area usually experiences more than 200 daily freeze-thaw cycles each year. Add heavy traffic, and this stressed pavement can break away.

ADOT has two projects coming later this year along I-40 between Flagstaff and Williams that will add a new layer of pavement in both directions.

State Route 89A near Slide Rock to be narrowed to one lane for cell tower installation

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Motorists using State Route 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff should allow extra travel time next week when the roadway is reduced to one lane near Slide Rock while a new cell tower is installed.

SR 89A will be narrowed to one lane between mileposts 381 and 384 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, December 13, and Wednesday, December 14. Flaggers will be on site to provide alternating north- and southbound travel through the work zone and delays are possible.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions and closures, but it’s possible that unscheduled impacts might occur because of weather or other factors. For the most current information about highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Travel Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving.

Multi-Agency Search for Missing Camper in Oak Creek Canyon

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image004Oak Creek Canyon — On Friday, May 6, 2016 at about 9:07 am 911 dispatchers received a call from an individual who identified himself as the campground host for the Pine Flat Campground located in Oak Creek Canyon. According to the caller an adult female who was camping by herself failed to check out of her camping space as she was scheduled to do. The host identified the missing camper as fifty-nine year-old Debra Ann Schwartz of Tempe, Arizona.

Upon the Deputies arrival at Pine Flats they found the missing person’s vehicle and her assembled tent and other camping equipment. It appears that Debra Schwartz left her campground for an unknown destination and failed to return as scheduled.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Command Staff, Deputies and Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue personnel are conducting an intensive ground search aided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Helicopter based in Kingman, AZ. Although the helicopter crew has conducted multiple flights in the area they have not detected the presence of the missing person. Sheriff’s Detectives are conducting a parallel missing person investigation in an attempt to determine the circumstances leading up to Debra’s disappearance.

Anyone with information regarding the current location or the circumstances leading up to Debra Schwartz’s disappearance are urged to immediately contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Law enforcement seeking information on suspicious fires

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Coconino_MobileForest Service law enforcement and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any information on a string of suspicious human-caused fires that have occurred over the last two days in Oak Creek Canyon.

On Monday (Feb. 22), from approximately 7:30 to 8 p.m., four fires—named the Briar, Snake, Rock and Switchback fires—were started in Oak Creek Canyon along Highway 89A and grew to only a tenth of an acre before they were reported and fire personnel extinguished them. The Briar fire was located on the west side of the highway, about 1.4 miles north of Midgley Bridge, near Leo Schnur Lane. The Snake fire was about a quarter of a mile south of the Encinoso Picnic Area on the east side of the highway. The Rock fire was just north of Slide Rock State Park and on the east side of Highway 89A. The Switchback fire was located near the southwest corner of the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks on the east side of the highway.

On Tuesday (Feb. 23), at about 4 p.m. the Halfway fire was reported just south of the Halfway Picnic Area on the east side of the highway. Later that evening at about 5:20 p.m. the Creek fire was reported just below the Halfway Picnic Area on the west side of the highway.

These fires are under investigation, and anyone that may have information regarding the cause of these fires or may have observed anyone suspicious in the area at the time of the fire is encouraged to contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at 928-527-3511 or the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523. The public may also call the Coconino Silent Witness number at 928-774-6111, and if your information leads to an arrest, you will be offered a reward of up to $1,000.

Multi-Agency Response to Injured Hiker in the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon

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Coconino County Sheriff photo.

Coconino County Sheriff photo.

OAK CREEK — On Saturday, July 18, 2015 at approximately 4:07 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a representative of the Arizona Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) advising that a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) had been activated with GPS coordinates in Illusions Canyon located within the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. ADEM personnel determined who the registered owner of the device was and also advised that Air Force Personnel received the emergency signal as well. A multi-agency response was initiated.

Participating agencies included Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, US Air Force 55th Aerial Rescue Squadron based out of Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Sedona Fire District (SFD), the Arizona Department of Emergency Management and Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Air Rescue based in Flagstaff.

At about 4:52 p.m. the Northern Arizona 911 reception center received a cell phone call from an individual who identified himself as a member of the hiking party that included the victim who was the subject of the activated PLB device. The caller advised that the victim was located in the area of the confluence of West Fork. According to the caller the victim suffered a broken leg at approximately 11:00 am that day and members of his party were not able to access cell phone service from the victim’s location. The caller hiked out of the canyon to a location where he could access cell phone service.

By 5:20 pm the CCSO resident deputy in Oak Creek Canyon and a Sedona firefighter were at the Call of the Canyon which is the trail head for West Fork. Two Sedona Fire Department Technical Rescue Teams were deployed into the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon on foot in an attempt to locate the victim. DPS Rescue Helicopter was not able to assist on Saturday due to active thunderstorms in the area. By 7:50 pm two CCSO SAR teams were at the top of the rim and established an Incident Command Post (ICP) off of Woody Mountain Road. Because of the weather and inability to launch a heli-rescue, the victim and others in the party were asked to shelter in place. Rescue crews on the ground also staged at the ICP overnight, camping in the rain and thunder storms.

At about 6:00 am on Sunday morning rescuers received a break in the storm activity. The DPS helicopter with a CCSO SAR technical rescue operator on board flew the area and located the party of six including the victim.

Two SFD technical rescue operators were inserted into the canyon via a helicopter rappel from the DPS aircraft. A CCSO SAR technical rescue ground team was staged at the rim. The DPS Ranger helicopter extracted the victim and a SFD rescuer using the Short Haul method during which the rescuer and victim are suspended on a line underneath the helicopter and flown to a safe area in this case the parking lot of the West Fork of Oak Creek trail head.

Sedona Fire transported the victim to the Flagstaff Medical Level One Trauma Center via ground ambulance. Two HH 60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the USAF 55th Air Rescue Squadron extracted the remaining 5 members of the victim’s party by hoisting them from the ground into the hoovering helicopters.

ADEQ Awards $275,000 Environmental Stewardship Grant for Oak Creek

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ADEQ logo resizedPHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) announced today that a $275,000 grant has been awarded to the Oak Creek Watershed Council (OCWC) for continued educational outreach and cleanup efforts of the Water Quality Ambassadors program in Yavapai County.

ADEQ’s third grant in support of the ambassadors program has two goals in addressing polluted runoff to Oak Creek: measure the positive outcomes from the prior two grant awards and establish the foundation for a self-sustaining program. Oak Creek, from its headwaters to its confluence with Spring Creek in Oak Creek Canyon, is listed as impaired for E. coli.

“ADEQ’s role is not only to ensure compliance with environmental regulations but also to educate Arizona’s citizens and its visitors about how they can make a positive impact,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said. “The Water Quality Ambassadors program grant demonstrates our commitment to funding partnerships with local non-profit organizations to foster hands-on environmental education for Arizonans.”

With this grant, ADEQ will fund eight ambassadors who will continue face-to-face educational outreach in the area, waste removal and volunteer coordination to solidify the program for the future. To date, the ambassadors program has removed nearly three tons of trash from frequently visited Oak Creek recreational areas.

State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon reduced to one lane at switchbacks for shoulder work Tuesday

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OAK CREEK — Motorists traveling through the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks on State Route 89A on Tuesday, April 21, should expect possible delays and allow extra travel time, while crews perform shoulder work at milepost 389.

Maintenance will be performed on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with one lane of travel through the area. Flaggers will allow for alternating traffic and drivers are asked to allow for extra travel time to reach their destinations and use caution while traveling through the area.

State Route 89A reopened in Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks

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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.”

State Route 89A partially reopened in Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks

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File Photo

File Photo

PHOENIX — State Route 89A in the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks (mileposts 387-390) was partially reopened this morning after crews reopened the southbound lane, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both lanes of SR 89A were closed Saturday afternoon after a sinkhole was spotted on the northbound lane of the two-lane roadway.

Both directions of traffic will be guided through the area with assistance from a flagger until the northbound lane is reopened.

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 is scheduled to repave the northbound lane after filling the void with a liquid concrete-cement mix that needed to harden overnight before work can begin.

State Route 89A switchbacks remains closed, sinkhole repairs started today

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adot-logo-03aPHOENIX — Repairs of the roadway damage caused from a sinkhole started today along State Route 89A in the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks, but the roadway remains closed (mileposts 387-390) and is expected to remain closed until later this week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Crews used heavy equipment to excavate a six-foot deep, eight-foot wide section of the roadway today to remove loose material underneath the pavement near milepost 388, where the sinkhole was originally spotted on Saturday afternoon on the northbound lane.

After the earthwork was completed, crews filled the void with a liquid concrete-cement mix that needs to harden for at least 24 hours before the roadway can be repaved. In an effort to expedite the repairs as soon as possible, ADOT is currently contacting potential contractors to get the asphalt that will be needed to complete the paving.

Prior to construction, a team of geotechnical engineers conducted a field inspection of the sinkhole this morning and determined that it could be repaired immediately.

With SR 89A closed from the Pine Flats Campground to the Vista Point scenic overlook, the recommended detour from Sedona to Flagstaff is to take State Route 179 to Interstate 17. The detour could add up to an extra half hour of travel time for motorists commuting between Sedona and Flagstaff.