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
The 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.