Signal maintenance in Flagstaff to be performed at Milton Road (SR 89A) and Plaza Way intersection

Travelers heading through south Flagstaff can expect heavy delays at the intersection of Milton Road (SR 89A) and Plaza Way on Tuesday, April 14, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., as ADOT electrical operations staff perform maintenance on the traffic signal at this location. A City of Flagstaff police officer will be on-site to maintain travel; however congestion may occur during maintenance operations.

Drivers are asked to allow for extra travel time to reach their destinations and use caution while electrical work is performed in this area.

Utility work scheduled on SR 89A at Sixth Street in Cottonwood

COTTONWOOD — Utility work is scheduled on State Route 89A in Cottonwood at Sixth Street tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8 between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Northbound SR 89A at Sixth Street (milepost 352) will be narrowed to one lane to provide a safe work zone for utility crews. Minimal delays expected during work hours.

Dirt haul on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley scheduled next week

CHINO VALLEY — Traffic on State Route 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley will be required to stop intermittently next week to allow trucks to safely cross the highway.

The hauling operation will take place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday, March 30 through April 2, with intermittent closures for dirt hauling. Drivers can expect minimal delays during work hours.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Upon completion of the $17 million project, ADOT will expand the two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided highway along a five-mile segment of SR 89 (mileposts 320-325) between Road 4 South in Chino Valley and Deep Well Ranch Road in Prescott, just north of the SR 89/SR 89A junction. The project is expected to be complete by August.

US 89 scheduled to reopen this month following 2013 landslide, weather permitting

us89_timelapse_above_slide_julythrunov2014PHOENIX — Two years after a landslide ripped apart a 500-foot section of US 89 and split the communities of Bitter Springs and Page, the Arizona Department of Transportation anticipates reopening the highway to traffic on the afternoon of Friday, March 27, barring any potential weather delays or mechanical breakdowns during the paving process, which began today.

Page Unified School District buses are expected to be the first vehicles to pass through newly rebuilt roadway. Students from the Bitter Springs and Marble Canyon areas have been among the most impacted by the US 89 closure, which has remained in place following the Feb. 20, 2013, geologic event approximately two miles north of the US 89/US 89A junction near the community of Bitter Springs.

Following the paving of Temporary US 89 in August 2013, US 89T has served as the detour route for motorists headed to and from the Page and Lake Powell areas, but residents and students in the Bitter Springs and Marble Canyon communities have still had to go out of their way to travel to and from Page and Lake Powell.

“The reopening of Highway 89 is great news for Page Unified School District and the families that we serve in the communities of Marble Canyon, Bitter Springs and Cedar Ridge,” said Page Unified School District Superintendent Jim Walker. “The district will be now be able to re-establish our traditional bus runs to these communities, which will reduce the time that some of these children spend on our buses by up to an hour on a one-way trip. I would like thank our families for their efforts to continue to support their children’s school attendance during this very challenging time.”

Prior to the March 27 reopening, crews will be completing the paving, install rumble strips and guardrail, and add temporary striping and pavement markers along the roadway.

Prior to launching the $25 million repair project last summer, which included removing approximately one million cubic yards of rock material to realign the roadway and construct a downslope rock buttress at the base of the Echo Cliffs to stabilize the area, ADOT had to clear several hurdles to move the project forward.

The ultimate repair of US 89 is the final step in fulfilling ADOT’s three-pronged approach to the US 89 landslide incident, which included providing immediate emergency access, conducting a geotechnical investigation and restoring essential traffic to the area. Paving US 89T (Navajo Route 20) has been the short-term solution for motorists driving to and from Page.

“ADOT recognizes the importance of this corridor and what it means to the communities of Bitter Springs, Cedar Ridge and Marble Canyon,” said ADOT Intermodal Transportation Division Director Steve Boschen. “While the Feb. 20, 2013, landslide event was certainly unexpected and a severe blow to the area, it was a reminder about how critical transportation infrastructure is to the motorists, businesses, local residents and schoolchildren who rely on it every day.”

After an extensive geotechnical assessment identified the necessary repairs in July 2013, ADOT retained an engineering firm and developed plans for the eventual repair; finalized all federally required environmental reviews that included cultural, biological and water quality measures; and completed plans for the required right-of-way easements.

ADOT, along with the Federal Highway Administration, Navajo Nation, Navajo Division of Transportation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, were able to expedite the environmental, utility and right-of-way clearance process, knowing that the use of US 89T was a temporary fix, especially for the Bitter Springs area communities.

The US 89 landslide repair project is eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program, which provides funding to state and local agencies for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads and bridges that are damaged in natural disasters and catastrophic failures.

Overnight pipe installation scheduled on SR 89 in Chino Valley on Sunday

Pipe installation is scheduled on northbound State Route 89 near Windy Valley Plaza in Chino Valley on Sunday night, March 8 between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers can expect minimal delays during work hours.

Law enforcement personnel will be present and drivers are encouraged to adhere to the reduced speed limit and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. Note that Arizona Revised Statue allows for double the fine for speeding through a construction zone.

Traffic shift scheduled on Monday on SR 89 at Road 4 North in Chino Valley

CHINO VALLEY – Traffic will be shifted onto the new temporary detour on the east side of State Route 89 at Road 4 North on Monday, Feb. 23. Drivers in both directions will be shifted onto the detour for the next six months as crews begin constructing the new roundabout at the intersection.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

This $2.1 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Road 4 North between mileposts 330.48 and 330.78. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

This project is expected to be complete by August.

ADOT continues efforts to upgrade US 93 corridor

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation launched a new project this week to widen US 93, the primary travel route for Phoenix drivers headed to Las Vegas, and efforts continue on another ongoing widening project to further a decades-long commitment to convert the rural two-lane roadway to a modern, four-lane divided highway in northwest Arizona.

Just north of Wickenburg, ADOT started this week on the expansion of US 93 between State Route 71 and State Route 89 (mileposts 185-190). The $12.5 million project, reconstructing the highway into four lanes, is expected to be completed in 2016.

This project will be funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Along this section of highway, ADOT previously installed a centerline rumble strip, which is a pattern of small cuts in the pavement, in an effort to alert drivers whose vehicles cross the centerline of the two-lane, two-way roadway. Signs were also added to remind drivers that US 93 has two-way traffic and ADOT made it a requirement that drivers use their headlights during daylight hours.

“Safety has been the drive force behind our series of projects to convert US 93 into a divided four-lane highway,” said ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit. “ADOT’s long-term goal is to have a modern, four-lane divided highway between Phoenix and Las Vegas and we’ll continue to get closer to that goal as funding becomes available.”

Approximately 80 miles north of the project near Wickenburg, ADOT is continuing work on widening the Antelope Wash segment of US 93 (mileposts 101-104), roughly 20 miles north of Wikieup.

The $20 million improvement project began last summer and crews are currently reconstructing the future northbound lanes of US 93, which are adjacent to the existing US 93 alignment. The widening project, which is nearly 70 percent completed, is slated to be finished this summer.

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

Since 1998, ADOT has invested approximately $350 million in projects to upgrade the US 93 corridor, which stretches from Kingman to the Nevada state line and Wickenburg to Interstate 40 (a 23-mile segment of I-40 east of Kingman connects the north and south sections of US 93).

Currently, all but 49 miles of the 200-mile drive (more than 75 percent) from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line has been upgraded to a four-lane divided highway in an effort to improve traffic flow, support the movement of freight and enhance safety through this heavily-traveled area. The entire northern segment of US 93 from Kingman to the Nevada state line (mileposts 1-68) is now a four-lane divided highway following the completion of a $71 million project in 2010.

When the SR 71 to SR 89 and Antelope Wash sections are completed, ADOT will have widened an additional eight miles of the 109-mile stretch of US 93 from Wickenburg to I-40.

Ultimately, US 93 could become part of the proposed Interstate 11 corridor that, once fully constructed, would connect Nogales and Las Vegas, extending north through Nevada, potentially reaching as far as Canada.

Last October, ADOT and the Nevada Department of Transportation completed the I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Concept Report, the final element in the initial two-year feasibility study, this document can be found at www.i11study.com.

“US 93 has been designated as a potential alignment for the proposed Interstate 11 corridor,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “With the continued growth in the southwest, it’s essential that we have the transportation infrastructure in place to accommodate the efficient movement of goods and motorists in Arizona, and to support the movement of freight beyond our borders.”

Roundabout construction begins on SR 89 at Road 4 North in Chino Valley this week

800-150128-052PRESCOTT – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin construction this week of a new roundabout at the intersection of State Route 89 and Road 4 North in Chino Valley.

For the next three weeks, crews will begin building a temporary detour on the east side of SR 89 at Road 4 North and drivers should be aware of shoulder work and increased truck traffic through the work zone, weather dependent.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

This $2.1 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Road 4 North between mileposts 330.48 and 330.78. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

This project is expected to be complete by August 2015.

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.”

State Route 89A partially reopened in Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks

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.