N20

PHOENIX —The reconstruction of US 89 between Bitter Springs and Page will begin later this month after the State Transportation Board approved a $25 million project to repair the landslide-damaged highway at Friday’s board meeting in Cottonwood, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The roadway, which suffered catastrophic damage following a landslide on the early morning of Feb. 20, 2013, has remained closed after a 500-foot section of roadway buckled in Echo Cliffs, approximately 25 miles south of Page.

PHOENIX — One year after a landslide forced the closure US 89 south of Page, the Arizona Department of Transportation is gearing up to start construction early summer and potentially complete the emergency repair by the end of this year — if there are no environmental, utility or right-of-way hurdles.

Following an extensive geological investigation into the Feb. 20, 2013 landslide that concluded in July, ADOT has made major strides in accelerating progress on the emergency project.

PHOENIX — Drivers headed to Page and the Lake Powell area this Labor Day weekend will have another option when the Arizona Department of Transportation opens the newly paved Temporary US 89 route (US 89T) on Thursday, August 29, albeit with some restrictions.

PHOENIX — Now that the Arizona Department of Transportation has completed its geotechnical investigation at the site of the Feb. 20 landslide on US 89 south of Page, the agency is sharing the results and its long-term plans to repair the damaged roadway with the public next week.

PHOENIX — Paving has begun on the shorter, future interim detour route for motorists affected by the US 89 landslide closure south of Page, but traveling on Navajo Route 20 is not an option until construction is completed later this summer.

Several vehicles have become stuck in the sand along this 44-mile-long tribal route, which is a mostly dirt road that stretches from Bodaway-Gap to LeChee, and there is limited cell phone coverage in the area. Currently, only local Navajo Nation residents are permitted to travel on N20.