Category Archives: Arizona Department of Transportation

Overnight dirt haul on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley continues

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adot-logo-03aPRESCOTT – Traffic on State Route 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley (mileposts 320 to 325) will be required to stop intermittently, weather permitting, for the next four weeks to allow trucks to safely cross the highway.

The hauling operation will continue tonight, Aug. 27 and continue through Tuesday, Sept. 30. Overnight work hours are 7 p.m. through 5 a.m. each night and intermittent closures are expected for dirt hauling and removal and relocation of temporary concrete barrier along the roadway.

Drivers can expect delays of up to 10 minutes at a time.

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.

Traffic delays expected on SR 89A due to Coconino County Fair this weekend

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation is urging motorists headed to the annual Coconino County Fair this Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1) to allow extra travel time as traffic delays are expected. The main entrance to the Fort Tuthill County Park along State Route 89A remains closed due to an ongoing improvement project and traffic is routinely backed up onto Interstate 17 and SR 89A during special events at the park.

The park’s main entrance at Fairgrounds Road, which intersects with JW Powell Boulevard and SR 89A/Beulah Boulevard, has been closed since early June while ADOT continues construction of the realignment of SR 89A and two new roundabouts at this location.

During the fair, attendees will enter and exit the fairground at two alternate locations north of Fairgrounds Road. The first location is Fort Tuthill Loop, approximately 300 yards north of the main entrance. The second location is at West Purple Sage Trail, which is slightly more than one-half mile north of the main entrance on SR 89A.

Law enforcement officers will be in the area and signage will be placed to guide fairgoers into and out of the park through the holiday weekend.

Construction started on the $6.25 million SR 89A project in May and will continue through the end of the year, until the winter shutdown takes effect. ADOT will return in spring 2015 to perform final paving, striping and sign installation at that time.

In an effort to improve traffic flow and enhance safety, ADOT is reconstructing the SR 89A/JW Powell Boulevard intersection and southbound I-17 ramp/JW Powell Boulevard intersection, both of which were built in the 1950s and do not meet today’s modern safety design standards.

Once completed, SR 89A will be realigned and a new roundabout will facilitate the movement of traffic through SR 89A and JW Powell Boulevard at the park’s entrance. A second new roundabout will aid the flow of traffic using the southbound on- and off-ramps at I-17 and JW Powell Boulevard. In addition, the project includes new bike lanes and sidewalks in the area.

For more information on the project, please visit the project Web page at azdot.gov/I17_Powell, or call 855.712.8530.

Heavy traffic expected on Interstate 15 during Labor Day holiday

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation is urging motorists traveling on Interstate 15 in the far northwest corner of Arizona to allow for extra travel time due to expected heavy traffic during this upcoming Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29 – Sept. 1) and be aware of an existing work zone through the Virgin River Gorge.

Delays of up to two hours have been reported on previous holiday travel weekends through the Virgin River Gorge, which is nearly 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

ADOT is currently working on a major reconstruction project on Virgin River Bridge No. 6 (milepost 16), located about 20 miles south of St. George, Utah.

While no active construction will be taking place during the holiday weekend, the highway is currently narrowed to one lane in each direction through the work zone until the project is completed in 2016.

This $27 million project includes the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the gorge.

With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, ADOT urges drivers to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the work zone, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Box culvert work closing SR 277 in Snowflake

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SNOWFLAKE – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project Monday, Aug. 18 to install concrete drainage pipes across SR 277 at two different locations within the city limits of Snowflake.

The project is scheduled to be completed in two phases and will require the closure of SR 277 for approximately two months.

Both pipe installation locations are on SR277 about two miles from the SR 77 junction in the area of the golf course. The installation of each pipe will be done in a separate phase, and each phase will have a different detour route.

One phase will be done at a time, and all detour routes will be properly marked. Each detour is about 1.5 miles long. The project is expected to be completed by this fall.

ADOT advises drivers to precede along the detour routes with caution, slow down and plan extra time for your commute.

ADOT completes some I-15 bridge projects, easing traffic restrictions

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Virgin River Bridge #6 - ADOT Photo

Virgin River Bridge #6 – ADOT Photo

PHOENIX — Travelers who use the Interstate 15 corridor in the far northwest corner of the state will get some relief as the Arizona Department of Transportation today finished a series of bridge rehabilitation projects through the Virgin River Gorge and lifted several traffic restrictions in the area.

The $2.8 million project started in January and included upgrading the southbound bridge surfaces, girder repairs and other related work on Virgin River Bridge No. 2 (milepost 13), Bridge No. 3 (milepost 13) and Bridge No. 7 (milepost 22).

With completion of work on these three bridges, traffic restrictions have eased through the Virgin River Gorge. However, a work zone will remain in place through 2016 for the reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 (milepost 16), approximately 20 miles south of St. George, Utah.

In April, ADOT started an extensive rehabilitation project on Virgin River Bridge No. 6, which includes replacing the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow Virgin River Gorge. When this section of highway was built, it was the most expensive rural interstate highway built, per mile, when it was completed in 1973 after a decade of construction.

Recently, ADOT started work that will eventually serve as the foundation of the new bridge. The $27 million project is the only active project on Arizona’s portion 29-mile-long of I-15, which directly connects Nevada and Utah and is a heavily-traveled commercial and economic corridor linking southern California with the Rocky Mountain region.

With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, ADOT urges drivers traveling between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the Virgin River Bridge No. 6 work zone. I-15 is narrowed to one lane in each direction at the bridge project and delays are possible.

Overnight dirt haul on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley this week

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PRESCOTT – Traffic on State Route 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley (mileposts 320 to 325) will be required to stop intermittently this week to allow trucks to safely cross the highway.

The hauling operation will begin tonight (weather permitting), Aug. 12 through Thursday, Aug. 14 between 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and intermittent closures are expected for dirt hauling and removal of temporary concrete barrier along the roadway.

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.

On Saturday’s “Things to Do” list – check out the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange before it opens to traffic

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ADOT Photo

ADOT Photo.

PHOENIX – Saturday morning (August 16) provides an opportunity for you to get an up-close look at the soon-to-be-completed Loop 303/I-10 Traffic Interchange in Goodyear. The Arizona Department of Transportation and city of Goodyear will provide local residents and visitors with a chance to walk, jog, skate or cycle beneath the elevated ramps that will soon carry traffic between the two freeways in the West Valley.

A Loop 303 dedication event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday along the new westbound I-10 frontage road that also was built as part of the $145 million freeway-to-freeway interchange project. All ramps at the interchange are scheduled to be open to traffic by September.

Governor Jan Brewer is scheduled to be on hand for the event, along with Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, ADOT Director John Halikowski and other dignitaries.

Parking will be available on the eastbound I-10 frontage road east of Citrus Road, south of I-10, in Goodyear. Citrus Road, which is west of the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, can be accessed from either McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.

After parking, those attending the event will be able to walk or roll through the Cotton Lane underpass beneath I-10 and have an up-close view of the large ramps at the interchange. Local community organizations will be on hand to share information with guests.

For safety reasons, those attending the open house will not be able to go onto the elevated ramps at the interchange. Guests are asked to be prepared for sunny conditions and are discouraged from bringing dogs or other pets because the pavement will get hotter as the morning moves along.

Governor Brewer will speak at a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 9 a.m.

In addition to marking the upcoming completion of the Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, the Open House and dedication also will celebrate the completion of ADOT’s recent series of projects to improve Loop 303 from an older two-lane highway to a six-lane freeway traveling north and south from Goodyear to Surprise. The projects are all part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.

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.

Overnight pavement maintenance on I-17 next week

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adot-logo3The Arizona Department of Transportation will repair damaged segments of Interstate 17 about three miles north of New River overnight next week.

Northbound I-17 will be narrowed to one lane from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12 and Wednesday, Aug. 13 from Rock Springs to Table Mesa Road (mileposts 235 – 240). Then southbound I-17 will be narrowed to one lane from Table Mesa Road to Rock Springs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14.

The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph through the work zone. Drivers can expect a single lane restriction during work hours.

In addition, crews will be working just south of Table Mesa Road (mileposts 235 to 237) during the day on Monday, Aug. 11 between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to replace signs. Drivers can expect a single lane restriction during work hours through the work zone. Sign replacement work is only scheduled on Monday, Aug. 11, not including Tuesday as previously mentioned.

Overnight paving work on Interstate 17 south of SR 169 continues

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Paving continues on northbound Interstate 17 near the State Route 169 junction (mileposts 275 to 279) tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 6 through Thursday, Aug. 7 between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. each night.

During work hours, drivers can expect a single lane restriction on northbound I-17 through the work zone.

In addition to paving work, final striping on southbound I-17 at the climbing lane (mileposts 280 to 286) just north of the SR 169 junction is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday nights, Aug. 6 – 7, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. Drivers can expect a single lane restriction during work hours, no delays expected.

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.