HOLBROOK – The Arizona Department of Transportation wants your input on ways to improve safety along State Route 377 between Heber-Overgaard and Holbrook as part of a study it’s conducting.

The study will evaluate roadway and traffic conditions, identify potential safety issues and evaluate possible ways to improve safety and travel on the state roadway. 

Area residents and those who own summer homes or visit the area frequently are encouraged to provide their input by completing an online survey at azdot.gov/SR377study or use the printed survey that is being mailed to residents and businesses in Heber-Overgaard and Holbrook. All surveys need to be received by Friday, March 4.

The safety study will analyze past motor-vehicle crashes and current traffic conditions (speed and volume), planned construction and projected future operational characteristics. The study will also evaluate public input received from the survey and identify specific segments along SR 377 where crashes have occurred in the past and possible solutions to address problem areas.

ADOT engineers will evaluate the results of the study and use any approved recommendations to plan and prioritize future projects depending on available funding and resources. There is no funding currently in place to pay for any improvements recommended in the study.

The safety study will begin in the spring after public comments have been received and should be concluded by this summer.

Visit azdot.gov/SR377study to take the online survey and get more information on the study.

PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Transportation crews will be improving the road surface along the entire stretch of State Route 377 between Heber-Overgaard and Holbrook over the next three weeks with paving operations.

Drivers in the area should budget extra travel time while sections of the highway are narrowed to one lane. Flaggers will be controlling traffic through the area resulting in delays of up to 30 minutes.

Drivers can also use SR 277 and SR 77 to get between Holbrook and Heber-Overgaard.

The work is part of a $4.4 million project that also includes widening shoulders, extending pipe culverts and adding new permanent pavement markings and signage.

PHOENIX – State Route 377 will be closed between Holbrook and the junction with State Route 277, about 5 miles northeast of Heber-Overgaard, during the week of May 14 while the Apache Railway Co. replaces a railroad crossing, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

That 34-mile stretch will close at 4 a.m. Monday, May 14, and remain closed through mid-afternoon Friday, May 18, while the railroad upgrades the crossing in a project approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission. The work will occur at milepost 33.5 along SR 377 in Holbrook.

Those traveling between Holbrook and Heber-Overgaard can use SR 277 and SR 77 through Snowflake.

ADOT will be manning the closure around the clock at each end. Those with homes off of SR 377 will be allowed through the closure.

After the railroad crossing upgrade is complete, ADOT will tie in the existing roadway for a smooth transition.

PHOENIX – Motorists traveling between Holbrook and the East Valley may see Pony Express re-enactment riders carrying mail along state highways from Wednesday, Feb. 8, through Friday, Feb. 10, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Departing from Holbrook at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Hashknife Pony Express riders will stop at post offices in Heber-Overgaard, Payson and Fountain Hills en route to their final destination in downtown Scottsdale. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse has been staging this 200-mile ride for nearly 60 years.

Law enforcement officers will provide a safety escort for the riders, who hand off the mail bags every mile of the relay route. The riders travel along the edge of the highway or shoulder.

Motorists should not stop along the highway to photograph riders.

The Pony Express will travel along State Route 77, SR 377 and SR 277 to reach the Heber-Overgaard post office around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. They will take SR 260 from Heber to Payson, with a scheduled arrival at the post office about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Pony Express will take SR 87 to reach the Fountain Hills post office about 3 p.m. The final leg on Friday, from Fort McDowell to downtown Scottsdale, takes them south on SR 87 to the Arizona Canal, where riders will head west.

More information on this event is available at HashknifePonyExpress.com.