US 191 reopens south of Willcox following erosion repairs

PHOENIX – A section of US 191 south of Willcox reopened Wednesday morning following more than a week of work to repair soil erosion that damaged the highway.

ADOT crews completed repairs early today, allowing traffic to flow again on US 191 between Birch Road at milepost 53.1 and Dragoon Road at milepost 55.7. The highway closed Monday, July 5, when maintenance crews discovered cracks following heavy rainfall in the area. Traffic was detoured onto local roads during the closure.

After the damage was discovered, ADOT consulted with experts including the agency’s geotechnical unit, to examine the causes of the ground erosion while developing a repair strategy to safely reopen US 191.

The work involved removing pavement to expose cracks, which were then filled with a concrete slurry mix. Afterward, a 2-inch layer of asphalt was installed on a ⅕-mile long segment of the highway.

ADOT asks drivers to use extra caution on this segment until lane stripes are applied to the new pavement. Road maintenance crews will monitor the highway for any additional cracking or damage.