Due to the type of work involved and nature of the narrow corridor with steep slopes, having the contractor work at night or during the winter when there is the possibility of ice and snow is both hazardous and much more costly. The blasting work at the south end of the project cannot be completed at night, as this would impose unacceptable safety risks to construction crews and the public. There is also some work, such as paving, that must be done in certain temperatures. In the Oak Creek Canyon/Sedona area, we typically shut down work during the winter due to the weather conditions.

ADOT will notify the public seven calendar days in advance through roadside message boards and traffic alerts via email. The best way to stay informed is to sign up to receive traffic alerts, which will be emailed directly to your inbox. Visit the project web page to sign up. In addition, ADOT will post traffic restriction and closure information on the project website and via social media, and will provide regular updates to HOAs, businesses and other stakeholders in the canyon so they can share the information with others in the canyon.

Aside from the five daytime full closures at MP 375, which are allowed to occur from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, we do not anticipate any weekend or holiday closures. However, there will be 24/7 lane restrictions in place at the bridge and erosion control work zones while construction is underway on these two improvements. This will include temporary traffic signals. Closures are subject to change based on unforeseen circumstances, such as weather or traffic incidents.

The contractor is required to notify ADOT 20 business days in advance of all full closures. Once the closure and traffic-control plans are approved, ADOT will inform the public seven calendar days in advance through roadside message boards and email notification.

The detour routes are expected to add about an hour of travel time, depending on the point of origin and destination, without any other additional traffic delays. The one lane of travel through the north end of the canyon with temporary signals is expected to add approximately 45 minutes during weekday off-peak times and approximately one hour during peak travel periods. However, this corridor is subject to wide variations in traffic levels so there could be times when travel times are higher.

• Drivers traveling from Sedona to Flagstaff will use State Route 179 to Interstate 17.
• Drivers traveling from Flagstaff to Sedona will use I-17 to SR 179.
• Message boards and other social media will be used to notify the traveling public seven calendar
• days in advance of full closures.
• A signed detour will also be provided during the closures.

Up to five full daytime closures from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday mornings through Thursday evenings at the south end (MP 375) and up to 10 overnight full closures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday nights through Friday mornings at the north end (MP 387-389) of the project. The closures may be on consecutive or non-consecutive days.

Access will be maintained to properties in Oak Creek Canyon throughout the project. During the limited full closures on SR 89A, it may take longer to get to and from properties in the canyon since a detour will be in place. During the closures, property access to and from SR 89A will be maintained with detours either to the north or the south via SR 179 and I-17.

Construction is expected to start early this spring and be completed by the end of 2023. SR 89A will remain open to traffic with the exception of limited daytime and overnight closures. Once construction starts, the highway will be narrowed to one lane only through the work zone(s) with alternating northand southbound travel. Traffic-control will be maintained using a combination of temporary traffic signals and/or a flagging operation. ADOT is committed to completing the improvements as quickly as possible, while balancing the transportation and access needs of local communities.

The nature of the SR 89A corridor and the type of work being performed required extensive coordination with area public and private agency partners to determine how best to construct these projects, while minimizing impacts to drivers and canyon residents and businesses.

We discussed the pros and cons of two construction approaches:

Completely closing the north end of Oak Creek Canyon, which would get the improvements completed sooner, but with more driver and local impacts.

OR