Daily Archives: June 29, 2015

ADOT completes widening of another US 93 section

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PHOENIX — For the past two decades, the Arizona Department of Transportation has made the US 93 corridor a priority, by methodically turning what was once a two-lane rural roadway into a modern four-lane divided highway along the primary travel route for Phoenix motorists headed to Las Vegas and a vital corridor for trade and commerce.

This past weekend, ADOT completed another widened section of US 93, approximately 20 miles north of Wikieup and moved one step closer to the agency’s ultimate goal of transforming the entire 200-mile stretch from Wickenburg to the Hoover Dam bypass bridge into a modern, four-lane divided highway.

The completed $20 million project widened the three-mile-long Antelope Wash segment of US 93 (mileposts 101-104), which included building two new southbound lanes and reconstructing the two northbound lanes to tie into the new roadway configuration.

This was one of two US 93 widening projects ADOT has been working on this year. In February, ADOT launched another expansion project along US 93 between state routes 71 and 89 (mileposts 185-190), just north of Wickenburg. The $12.5 million project will include converting the roadway from two lanes to four lanes and is expected to be completed in 2016.

Since 1998, ADOT has invested more than $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 46 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.

Arizona No. 47 State according to Thrillist

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Updated 11:05
ppines15-06-24-18Don’t know exactly what a Thrillist is supposed to be, but for them the science is settled (even though they apparently did no research). Michigan is the number one State to live in—Detroit being a jewel in their crown.

Arizona comes in at 47, according to this web site. We beat out Florida, Deleware and Ohio.

Why do we rank so low? Because we don’t have any good Christmas trees. Despite the fact that Kaibab sells out of Christmas tree permits yearly, they write:

Though the unmitigated beauty of its canyons and deserts is well known, the Northern part of the state actually holds the largest number of ponderosa pine trees in in the world, a fact that would hold more sway in the ranking if they weren’t completely useless as Christmas trees.

Guess we will just have to settle with the inevitable traffic from tourists around the world clogging our traffic corridors and being the Number One Gun Friendly State of the Union two years running according to Guns and Ammo; According to their research. Guess we’ll have to keep all the beautiful hiking, camping and fishing to ourselves. Not to mention the longest contiguous stretch of Route 66 in the country, historic sites and so-on.

(Music Gianluca Zanna)
Source: Detroit Free Press

Thunder Storm/Lightning Safety

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FLAGSTAFF — Outdoor enthusiasts should be aware of the dangers that may come with monsoons. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the US Forest Service want visitors to enjoy their time on the forests and encourage visitors planning a trip to the area to “Know Before You Go”

Lightning: What You Need to Know

  • NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area
  • If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you
  • When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up
  • Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:

  • Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
  • Never lie flat on the ground
  • Never shelter under an isolated tree
  • Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
  • Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
  • Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)

Forecast weather conditions can be found at the National Weather Service webpage http://www.nws.noaa.gov/.