PHOENIX – Travelers along US 60 between Globe and Show Low once again have a place to stop and rest. Much needed renovations to the Salt River Canyon rest area have been completed, and the facility is now open.

The rest area received restroom building upgrades, replacement of the composting toilet system, water well work and solar panels to power the facility as part of the project.

Now that the Salt River Canyon rest area is open, it will be maintained by Infrastructure Corporation of America, the private entity that manages the operation and maintenance of the rest areas through a public-private partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The Salt River Canyon rest area has been closed for the last several years due to extensive repair needs for which there was no funding. In 2011, ADOT started a $17.4 million rest area rehabilitation program that prioritized rest area repair projects and began to include them in the state’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. 

This program provided the needed funds to renovate and reopen the rest area.

There are a total of 15 rest areas along the state highways in Arizona.

A map of rest area locations can be found in the Map Book at azdot.gov/maps.

PHOENIX – The Burnt Well rest area along Interstate 10 west of Phoenix at milepost 86 near Tonopah has reopened to drivers today after receiving upgrades to the facilities and plumbing system, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Two rest areas along the stretch of I-10 between Phoenix and California have been renovated as part of a rest area rehabilitation program implemented by ADOT. They include Bouse Wash rest area located at milepost 52 approximately 30 miles east of Quartzsite, and the newly reopened Burnt Well rest area.

The Ehrenberg rest area, located near the California state line near milepost four, is the final rest area along this stretch of I-10 scheduled to undergo similar upgrades as Burnt Well and Bouse Wash. The project at Ehrenberg will begin early next year after the holiday season.

Renovations help revamp the water system, which is a key component of the rest area. Water is needed to operate the restroom facilities, the septic system and the drinking fountains as well as provide for the needs of the caretakers who live on site.

A map of all state highway rest areas is available at: azdot.gov/maps. 

PHOENIX – Travelers along US 60 between Globe and Show Low will once again have a place to stop and rest by this fall. The Arizona Department of Transportation is renovating the Salt River Canyon rest area, which has been closed for the past several years.

The project will include restroom building renovations, replacement of the composting toilet system, water well work, new parking lot pavement and new signage.

Construction work should not interfere with traffic on US 60 through the Salt River Canyon, but the work zone will be signed and drivers are advised to proceed through the area with caution.

The Salt River Canyon rest area has been closed for the last several years due to extensive repair needs for which there was no funding. In 2011, ADOT started a $17.4 million rest area rehabilitation program that prioritized rest area repair projects and began to include them in ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. With funding now available, the Salt River Canyon rest area is receiving the upgrades it needs.

Sunset Point, Bouse Wash, McGuireville and Hassayampa rest areas have all been refurbished through the rest area rehabilitation program. ADOT will make repairs to 12 remaining rest areas over the next few years.

Once the Salt River Canyon rest area reopens, it will be maintained by Infrastructure Corporation of America, the private entity which manages the operation and maintenance of the rest areas through a public-private partnership with ADOT.

A map of rest area locations can be found in the Map Book at azdot.gov/maps.

PHOENIX – Visitors to rest areas along state highways will begin to notice recycling containers onsite since the Arizona Department of Transportation started a recycling program at three rest areas with plans to expand it statewide.

The program involves partnering with recycling vendors to install 8-cubic-yard bins and smaller blue containers at the rest areas for travelers to use for their recyclable trash. The vendor will collect the recyclables at least once a week.

Rest areas currently participating in the program include McGuireville rest area along I-17, Hassayampa rest area along US 60 and Ehrenberg rest area along I-10 near the California state line.

“With each site visit I make to our rest areas, I see how necessary recycling is,” said Bobby Wheeler, rest area manager for ADOT. “There are large amounts of plastic bottles and aluminum cans tossed in waste receptacles that go to a landfill without first being separated. We need to do the right thing and ensure recyclable materials are actually getting recycled.”

One of the vendors that will be collecting recyclables at the McGuireville rest area works with Rainbow Acres in Camp Verde to provide jobs for developmentally disabled adults sorting plastics and aluminum.

“A crew comes from the Rainbow Acres ranch five days a week where five ranchers and two of our staff members will sort all of the plastics and cans,” said Jill McCutcheon, executive director of Sedona Recycles, Inc. “We couldn’t do the work without this great group of people.”

The rest area recycling program is being implemented at no cost to ADOT. The recycling vendors will be overseen by Infrastructure Corporation of America, the private entity which manages the operation and maintenance of the rest areas through a public-private partnership with ADOT. ICA has been supportive in getting the recycling program in place and operational.

As more recycling vendors across the state join in the program, more rest areas will be able to participate. ADOT’s goal is to implement this program at all rest areas along the state highway system.

“We are glad that we were contacted to provide recycling at the McGuireville rest area,” McCutcheon said.

A map of rest area locations can be found in the Map Book at azdot.gov/maps.

PHOENIX – The Burnt Well rest area along Interstate 10 west of Phoenix at milepost 86 near Tonopah will receive upgrades to the facilities and plumbing system as part of a rest area rehabilitation program implemented by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both east and westbound facilities will close to the public on Monday, April 14 in order to receive new plumbing, updated restroom facilities and improved ramadas. The work is anticipated to be complete this summer.

Drivers are encouraged to use alternate facilities, such as the Bouse Wash rest area located at milepost 52 approximately 30 miles east of Quartzsite, and the Ehrenberg rest area located at milepost 4.7 near the California state line.

This renovation will help revamp the water system, which is a key component of the rest area. Water is needed to operate the restroom facilities, the septic system and the drinking fountains as well as provide for the needs of the caretakers who live on site.

The Ehrenberg rest area is also scheduled to undergo similar upgrades as Burnt Well. The project at Ehrenberg will begin after the Burnt Well project is complete.

A map of all state highway rest areas is available at: azdot.gov/maps.

PHOENIX – Rest areas around the state are necessary to give respite to travelers and truck drivers on trips across Arizona’s highways. The Arizona Department of Transportation has engaged in a rest area rehabilitation program to ensure rest areas are able to meet the needs of drivers for years to come.

The $17.4 million program began two years ago with the Sunset Point rest area along I-17 north of Phoenix. The project included drilling a new water well and refurbishing the plumbing system. Bouse Wash rest area along I-10 west between Phoenix and the California state line was completed a few months ago, featuring new water pumps and refurbished plumbing as well as structural rehabilitation.

The Hassayampa rest area near Wickenburg was completed at the end of June and travelers can take advantage of refurbished plumbing and a repaved parking lot.

The McGuireville rest area located along I-17 south of Flagstaff recently completed its rehabilitation project. The rest area, which received a new well and new water pumps, reopened to the public last week.

The next rest area planned to undergo rehabilitation is the Salt River Canyon rest area along US 60 between Globe and Show Low. This rest area has been closed for a few years due to extensive repair needs for which there was no funding. Now that funding is available, the rest area will receive new water pumps, structural repairs and upgraded standard toilets to replace the current composting toilets. The project is currently in the design phase and is anticipated to start construction next summer.

The rehabilitation projects at the Burnt Well and Ehrenberg rest areas along I-10 west of Phoenix are also in the design phase and anticipated to start sometime early next year. When construction begins, only one rest area will be closed at a time to help accommodate travelers.

These rehabilitation projects are not related to the recent public-private partnership contract with Infrastructure Corporation of America to maintain ADOT’s rest areas. These rehabilitation projects will help ensure that rest areas along Arizona’s highways will be functional and available to travelers when they need them.

PHOENIX – The McGuireville rest area along Interstate 17 at milepost 298 near State Route 179 reopened to travelers yesterday after renovations to the rest area were completed, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both facilities on either side of I-17 received upgraded restrooms and sewer lines as well as a new well and water pumps.

This renovation will help ensure the McGuireville rest area will remain operational for travelers in the years to come. The revamped water system will be able to deliver water, a critical component of rest areas, to the restrooms, water fountains and even the caretakers who live onsite.

The project, which was to reopen in September, was delayed in reopening due to electrical equipment delays for the new water pump.