SR 73

It's an old road to Post Office Deck Bridge renovations

It's an old road to Post Office Deck Bridge renovations

SR24-1

It's an old road to Post Office Deck Bridge renovations

It's an old road to Post Office Deck Bridge renovations

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications
August 9, 2021

On State Route 73 in the Fort Apache Reservation, alongside the North Fork White River in some of the prettiest country around, ADOT is in the process of replacing an old bridge deck. 

By the standards of the region, the Post Office Canyon Bridge, built in 1968, isn't quite a senior citizen at 53 years. But if it could talk, it would tell you the top song that year was "Hey Jude," by The Beatles, minimum wage was $1.60 an hour and a Big Mac was 49 cents.  

The single span, steel girder bridge rises more than a mile above Post Office Canyon at 5,912 feet. 

It is located nearly half-way down an 11-mile stretch of SR 73, between Indian Pine near State Route 260 and the Alchesay National Fish Hatchery, that was designated in 1993 as the White River Scenic Road. The route is a U-shaped loop, about 40 miles long with one end on US 60 north of Carrizo and the other near Indian Pine and State Route 260.

According to the state-published Arizona Memory Project, SR 73 started out as little more than a foot trail: 

“With the establishment of a military camp in 1870 that would be renamed Fort Apache in 1879, the development of rough trails into passable packed-earth roads became necessary. In 1929, the old trail that would become SR 73 allowed horse-riding soldiers and mule-drawn freight wagons to reach the remote garrison from both the north and the south.“ 

The Post Office Canyon Bridge was probably named after the canyon it crosses, the Post Office Canyon, said the ADOT engineer who is overseeing the deck replacement, Navaphan Viboolmate (Noon) of ADOT’s Bridge Design Section. 

Before 1968, an earlier bridge across the canyon had a deck built from timber, Viboolmate said. It was torn down to make way for the current bridge.

“It was an open design,” he said. “Driving on it you could see side rails and cross rails.” 

Located in Navajo County between mileposts 348 and 349, the bridge sits on a section of SR 73 that is classified as a Rural Major Collector Road. 

“It connects to local communities, including Fort Apache, Whiteriver and Cedar Creek,” Viboolmate said. “It connects State Route 260 and US 60.” 

By ADOT engineering measurements, the bridge is safe, but because ADOT specifications and standards have evolved, it’s time to replace the current deck with reinforced concrete 8-inches thick and to replace deck drains, deck joints and bridge barrier transitions, among a host of other improvements. The project will reconstruct and significantly extend the life of the bridge

The project is in full swing and crews are demolishing and replacing the old decks.

According to the project website, the following restrictions are in place from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. seven days a week through September:

  • SR 73 is narrowed to one lane of alternating north- and southbound travel near the Post Office Canyon Bridge (mileposts 348-349).
  • A temporary traffic signal helps drivers travel through the construction area.
  • 12-foot vehicle width restriction in the work zone.
  • Reduced speed limit in the work zone.

When you cross the newly refurbished span, you now know you will be one mile high, on the White River Scenic Road and a Rural Major Collector Road --  and on a passage whose history began in the 1800s.  

ADOT replacing deck of Post Office Canyon Bridge on SR 73 near Whiteriver

ADOT replacing deck of Post Office Canyon Bridge on SR 73 near Whiteriver

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT replacing deck of Post Office Canyon Bridge on SR 73 near Whiteriver

ADOT replacing deck of Post Office Canyon Bridge on SR 73 near Whiteriver

May 3, 2021

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is replacing the bridge deck of the Post Office Canyon Bridge along SR 73 near the community of Whiteriver in order to extend the life of the bridge.

While crews are working on safely demolishing and replacing the existing bridge decks, traffic near the bridge will continue to be restricted to one lane of alternating north- and southbound travel from mileposts 348 to 349. These restrictions will remain in place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week through the end of the summer.

A temporary traffic signal is in place to help drivers move through the work zone. Drivers should budget extra travel time to get through the area.

The work also includes reconstructing the approaches between the highway and the bridge for a more smooth transition and replacing guardrails.

ADOT bolsters efforts to support Healthy Forest Initiative

ADOT bolsters efforts to support Healthy Forest Initiative

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT bolsters efforts to support Healthy Forest Initiative

ADOT bolsters efforts to support Healthy Forest Initiative

May 14, 2015

PHOENIX — A little more than six months after the Arizona Department of Transportation eased some weight restrictions on several highways in the White Mountains region to aid forest recovery efforts, more than 67 million pounds of timber has been removed to reduce the risk of future wildfires.

In November 2014, ADOT partnered with the Arizona State Forestry Division and Eastern Arizona Counties Organization to launch the “Healthy Forest Initiative” in a joint effort to promote healthy forests, improve commerce and protect the state’s infrastructure from further damage from devastating wildfires.

The two-year ADOT pilot project allows timber industry trucks to carry additional weight on several state highways in the White Mountains region, including US 60 (mileposts 324-402), State Route 77 (mileposts 342-360), US 180 (mileposts 394-433), State Route 260 (mileposts 250-398), State Route 277 (mileposts 305-336) and State Route 373 (mileposts 385-390).

Previously, trucks were limited to carrying loads of no more than 80,000 pounds. Under the new agreement, the weight limit has been increased on several highways to 90,800 pounds, which allows the timber industry to more effectively manage the forest recovery efforts by carrying heavier loads.

To date, nearly 800 loads have been hauled since the start of the Healthy Forest Initiative.

To bolster those efforts, ADOT has added another highway in the White Mountains on which trucks can carry additional weight. State Route 73 (mileposts 335-358) from Fort Apache to the State Route 260 junction south of Pinetop-Lakeside in Navajo County is now the seventh highway in the region with an increased weight restriction.

“Since the adoption of the Healthy Forest Initiative in November, we’ve seen an immediate response from the logging industry,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The higher truck weight limits have enhanced the ability of the private industry to clear forests in the White Mountains and transport wood material to sawmills, pellet plants and energy-generating plants in Springerville, Show Low and Snowflake, while reducing the risk of further catastrophic forest fires in the region.

“ADOT is proud to partner with the logging industry to provide jobs, boost the economy and efficiently and safely use the infrastructure to benefit Arizona.”

Last year, Eastern Arizona Counties Organization— which represents Navajo, Apache, Gila, Graham and Greenlee counties — approached ADOT about concerns from the northern Arizona logging industry about weight restrictions on several highways in eastern Arizona, an area subject to recent wildfires.

Prior to approval, ADOT staff conducted an extensive pavement and bridge analysis to determine if the highways could stand up to the increased weight loads.

Timber haulers interested in the program can participate by filing an application for a 30-day, $75 per vehicle permit that will allow an unlimited number of loads up to 90,800 pounds on the designated routes. The permit fees collected will be used to offset impacts to these roadways.

The 2011 Wallow Fire burned more than 500,000 acres in Apache County and resulted in millions of dollars of economic loss, countless hours of firefighter service and loss of animal habitat. ADOT had more than $2.5 million in damages related to the Wallow Fire, including roadway surface repairs, fence replacements, flooding mitigation, sign repairs, hazardous tree removal and ditch cleaning.