Tag Archives: Superior

ADEQ Announces $8,600 Brownfields Grant to the Town of Superior, Arizona

Posted on by

PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today an $8,600 Brownfields Grant award to the Town of Superior to conduct an asbestos survey of the Belmont Hotel building constructed on Main Street in 1935.

The survey work is set to begin Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. The Town of Superior intends to conduct remediation and abatement of contaminants based on these survey results and to prepare to make the site available for commercial development.

“The Belmont Hotel is an iconic building to Superior’s downtown, standing in the center of the community and serving as a symbol of the economic challenges that we have faced,” says Superior Town Manager Todd Pryor. “Returning this building to usefulness and productivity will serve as a symbol of the Town’s recovery and hope for the future.”

Established in 2003, BAP conducts projects through Arizona’s State Response Grant using funds provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. The program has funded more than 70 projects, assisting entities from local governments, schools, hospitals and nonprofits to tribes in completing environmental assessments, cleanup and restoration.

Redeveloping Brownfields has the potential to reduce environmental hazards, mitigate public health threats, create new business opportunities, increase tax revenue and restore habitats and blighted areas to productive use. Program funds are limited and available to eligible applicants in the order that they apply and qualify.

Follow-Up Discussion of Draft Queen Creek TMDL Report

Posted on by

SUPERIOR – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) will hold a second public meeting to discuss the draft Queen Creek Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report.

This public meeting will take place on Monday, November 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Superior Town Hall Auditorium 199 North Lobb Avenue Superior, AZ 85173

A TMDL defines the total amount of a particular constituent or pollutant which can be introduced into a water body without causing an exceedance of state surface water quality standards.

The TMDL process enlists the participation of stakeholder groups and other interested parties to assist in identifying possible sources of pollution, to allocate loads of those pollutants in accordance with the objectives of the analysis, and to identify the most reasonable measures that should be implemented in order for the stream to achieve surface water quality standards.

View Draft TMDL, Public Notice & associated documents.

Please direct any questions you have regarding this event to Kyle Palmer, 602-771-4540; Email palmer.kyle@azdeq.gov.

Update: Persons of interest were hunting legally

Posted on by

Northern Arizona Gazette supports legal hunting. We do hope to help catch actual poachers. We presumed, as did Arizona Game and Fish Department, that the person who sent in this photo had some good faith indication that these legal hunters were poachers. We apologize to the couple for any inconvenience they may have suffered from this event.

SUPERIOR — The Arizona Game and Fish Department on Monday found that persons of interest in a photo distributed on some AZGFD social media accounts were hunting legally when they recently took a buck near Superior.

When they learned they were “persons of interest” through AZGFD social media posts, they contacted the Department, produced their tag and additional photos of the buck, and the investigation was concluded.

“This was a success story in that a member of the public reported what appeared to be suspicious behavior,” said AZGFD Officer Kriselle Colvin, “and thanks to social media and immediate cooperation of the hunter, we were able to confirm that this deer was in fact taken in a completely ethical and legal manner.”

Initially, a concerned citizen had sent the photo to Operation Game Thief. The majority of our state’s hunters do the right thing and uphold the game laws in Arizona — this case is another example.

If you see suspicious behavior, please contact AZGFD’s Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, or visit www.azgfd.gov/ogt.shtml.

AZGFD is asking for public’s help in identifying persons involved in deer poaching case

Posted on by

SUPERIOR — The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hoping someone will be able to identify two “persons of interest” in a possible deer poaching case.

A concerned citizen took a photo of a man and woman with a white-tailed deer draped across the hood of a Jeep Wrangler and forwarded it to the Department’s Operation Game Thief. The photo was taken during the morning of Nov. 27 near Oak Flat (Game Unit 24B), east of Superior, Ariz., and investigators are looking for anyone who can identify the people in the photo.

“If you recognize either of these individuals, or have seen anything suspicious on social media that may help us solve this case, we want to talk to you,” said Joshua Hurst, AZGFD Operation Game Thief Program Manager. “Poachers are not hunters. They are thieves stealing wildlife from the citizens of Arizona. Please call our Operation Game Thief Hotline.”

Arizona hunters and back-country recreationists are often the best sources of leads for catching wildlife violators. If you have any information about this incident, contact Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-800-352-0700, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, or on the web at www.azgfd.gov/ogt.shtml. Please reference case #16-004087.

“If you know the people in this picture, we hope you will reach out to us,” said Hurst. “Your information could help catch a criminal.”

The Department may pay cash rewards to individuals whose reports lead to the arrest of poachers and other criminals in Arizona. Under law, callers may remain anonymous and their confidentiality is protected. Money for rewards comes from criminal poaching fines, civil restitution by those who commit wildlife crimes, and donations.

Twice-weekly US 60 project closures to continue through June

Posted on by

PHOENIX ‒ With about 2,000 truckloads of earth still to remove, blasting to create a passing lane along US 60 east of Superior is expected to continue through June.

The highway will be closed in both directions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a schedule the Arizona Department of Transportation designed to provide consistency for those relying on US 60.

Crews have removed about 105,000 cubic yards of rocks and dirt since the $8.8 million project began in August. Another 25,000 cubic yards of earth must be removed for the project between Devil’s Canyon and Oak Flat.

Working in a tight passage carrying US 60 uphill from Superior has made the work more time-consuming than originally expected. With no room at the worksite to store rocks and dirt after blasting, crews must truck the materials out and clear the roadway before reopening to traffic.

During blasting, eastbound traffic is stopped at milepost 227 east of Superior and westbound traffic at Top of the World, (milepost 235 west of Miami) until the debris is cleared.

Drivers should use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time.

Once the blasting work is complete, ADOT will pave the widened roadway before opening the additional travel lane to traffic. The project also includes widening the shoulder in Devil’s Canyon (mileposts 233-234), bridge work at Waterfall Canyon (milepost 229) and drainage improvements (milepost 242) west of Miami.

During the closures, drivers should consider taking state routes 77 and 177 between Superior and Globe, a route of about 68 miles. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260.

For more information on the project, please visit azdot.gov/us60oakflat.

US 60 east of Superior to close for blasting operations one day next week

Posted on by

Motorists using US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week should plan ahead and consider alternate routes as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work to build a passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior.

Construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require one full closure lasting four hours on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There will be no closures the following week, Feb. 22 through Feb. 26.

Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227), and traffic on westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235), until the blasting work is completed and debris is cleared.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barrier prior to each scheduled closure.

Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260.

Drivers should use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time.

US 60 east of Superior to close for blasting operations next week

Posted on by

SUPERIOR — Motorists using US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week should plan ahead and consider alternate routes as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work to build a passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior.

Construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require two full closures lasting four hours:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227), and traffic on westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235), until the blasting work is completed and debris is cleared.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barrier prior to each scheduled closure.

Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260.

Drivers should use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time.

Queen Creek Tunnel lighting project starting on US 60 east of Superior

Posted on by

The Arizona Department of Transportation will be starting a new lighting project beginning Monday, Jan. 25, to replace the existing lighting system in Queen Creek Tunnel. The tunnel is located on US 60 at milepost 228 just east of Superior.

The $3 million project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of July 2016, will include:

  • Removing the interior lighting and installing a LED lighting system
  • Replacing the exterior lighting at both ends of the tunnel
  • Retrofitting the current electrical control building
  • Cleaning the tunnel walls and ceiling

The removal and installation of the lighting in the tunnel will require lane closures during different phases of the work. Crews will be removing the old lighting system from both sides of the tunnel and installing the new lighting system down the center of the ceiling in the tunnel. During these times, different lanes within the tunnel will need to be closed for crews to work safely in those areas.

The speed limit will be reduced, barricades and barrier wall will be installed and lanes will be narrowed. Officers will be present during these restrictions to strictly enforce all traffic laws. Due to the limited work area within the tunnel it is imperative all motorists obey the traffic control changes for the workers’ safety.

Work hours will be Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Toward the end of the project US 60 will be closed in both directions for crews to clean the tunnel walls and ceiling. Those times and dates will be advertised when they get closer.

Drivers are asked to use caution, expect lane closures, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time for your commute.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur.

ADOT projects invest in US 60 corridor east of the Phoenix area

Posted on by

PHOENIX — Several projects that are underway or planned during 2016 will significantly upgrade US 60 from Superior to Globe.

In all, the Arizona Department of Transportation has committed nearly $50 million to projects in the corridor, including the addition of a passing lane and wider shoulders as the highway climbs east from Superior, five miles of new divided highway, rockfall mitigation, bridge work and drainage improvements.

As progress continues, including an upcoming project to replace lighting in the Queen Creek Tunnel, motorists traveling between Superior and Globe should plan ahead and be prepared for intermittent closures.

Two improvement projects are currently underway, and a third will start later this month:

A project started in August 2015 is adding a two-mile westbound passing lane between mileposts 231 and 233, widening the shoulder in Devil’s Canyon (mileposts 233-234), improving a bridge at Waterfall Canyon (milepost 229) and making drainage improvements west of Miami (milepost 242). Blasting operations for this project have required occasional closures, usually lasting up to 90 minutes, and these are expected to be needed through the end of April with crews more than halfway through excavating 108,000 cubic yards of earth.

ADOT is widening five miles of US 60 just west of and through Superior, a project that when completed in 2017 will convert the last two-lane stretch between Phoenix and Superior to four-lane divided highway. This work will require some traffic restrictions later this year.

This month, ADOT will add LED lighting to improve visibility in the quarter-mile-long Queen Creek Tunnel, which was built in 1952, as well as new conduit and wiring.

In 2015, ADOT completed a rockfall-mitigation project along mileposts 228-229, where crews removed loose boulders along a rocky and steep section of highway adjacent to the Queen Creek Tunnel.

US 60 east of Superior to temporarily close for blasting operations Jan. 5-7

Posted on by

PHOENIX — Motorists traveling along US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week need to plan ahead or allow extra time as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work as part of an improvement project to build a new passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior, approximately 65 miles east of downtown Phoenix.

The construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require four full closures of US 60:

• Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (This will be a three-hour closure.)
• Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227) and traffic on westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235), until the blasting work is completed and the roadway is reopened after all debris is cleared. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at each closure to assist with traffic control. Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barriers prior to each scheduled closure.

Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can also take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260 as an alternative. ADOT will work to minimize the traffic impacts as much as possible, including scheduling some nighttime work.

There will be narrow traffic lanes, wide-load restrictions and a reduced speed limit through the work zone. Flaggers and pilot cars will be used at different times throughout the project.

Drivers are asked to use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel and allow extra time for your commute.

For more information on the project, please visit azdot.gov/us60oakflat.