ADOT to install state’s first prefabricated bridge along old Route 66 in Mohave County

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is getting ready to install Arizona’s first prefabricated bridge along Oatman Highway, also known as old Route 66, with the help of Mohave County and the Federal Highway Administration.

The 110-foot bridge, manufactured in Phoenix and then transported in sections to the site in northwestern Arizona, will carry traffic over Sacramento Wash, a mile north of Interstate 40 in Topock. Supports have already been built along the roadway, awaiting installation of the prefabricated bridge next week.

To accommodate this work, Exit 1 on I-40 will be closed from 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 13, to midnight on Thursday, March 16. Drivers heading to Oatman and points along the Colorado River from I-40 will need to detour through Needles, California, taking the J Street/Downtown exit and following signs toward Arizona State Route 95 North/Bullhead City.

Accelerated bridge construction using prefabricated elements saves time and money, while constructing the bridge elements off-site greatly reduces traffic restrictions needed for construction ‒ in this case, days instead of weeks or months.

“This initiative saves an estimated $2.6 million in road-user impacts to traditional bridge construction methods,” Mohave County Public Works Director Steven P. Latoski said. “That includes work zone delays and a costly, long-term detour to commuters, businesses and visitors who depend on the Oatman Highway corridor.”

Mohave County received a $1 million Federal Highway Administration grant toward the $1.8 million project, which ADOT is administering.