SR 89

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

March 20, 2019

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

Travelers along State Route 89 south of Ash Fork will see the bridge over Meath Wash come down as crews begin the six-month process of a removing the old structure and replacing it with a cast-in-place, two-span bridge.

The original bridge dates back to 1932 and was widened in 1947.

The replacement bridge will look like the existing one with a few small differences, such as the spans being longer and the shoulders slightly wider. Crews will also reconstruct and re-stripe the approaches to the bridge to improve sight distance because of heavy traffic in the area from a cement plant.

A detour will direct traffic around the closed bridge. Motorists should expect delays in the area while the work progresses.

The bridge itself is expected to be closed for six months, though the overall project, which started at the end of January, is scheduled to last into October.

You can check out more information about the project, and subscribe for emailed updates, at its page on our website.

Route 89: Arizona photographer finds his way on border to border highway

Route 89: Arizona photographer finds his way on border to border highway

Route 89: Arizona photographer finds his way on border to border highway

Route 89: Arizona photographer finds his way on border to border highway

January 23, 2018

By Peter Corbett / ADOT Communications

Arizona photographer James Cowlin went searching for landscapes to photograph a decade ago only to discover a passion for the terrain along US 89 looking through his windshield and viewfinder. Cowlin, 73, hit the road in 2007 to explore Route 89 from Mexico across Arizona all the way to the Canadian border.

He came home to Arizona with impressive images and became an advocate of the 2,000-mile highway, launching the US 89 Appreciation Society with a blog and website:

“It’s easy on the eyes,” he said of scenery along 89 that ranges from the Grand Canyon to Grand Tetons and five other national parks and a dozen national monuments.

National Geographic Traveler named US 89 one of its Top 10 Drivers’ Drives in the world in 2010. Cowlin and his wife Barbara, a painter, ventured on a handful of trips on 89, including a border to border to border journey over 32 days covering about 5,000 miles. They camped in a teardrop trailer.

“I love long road trips,” he said.

Cowlin has logged 25,000 miles on Route 89.

Home is now in Oracle, north of Tucson. Cowlin spent 35 years in Phoenix as a commercial photographer. The Cowlins live a few miles from State Route 77, previously designated as US 89.

Highway 89 is all over the map in Arizona.

There are five current sections of 89 with different highway designations – state, federal and alternate routes – SR 89, SR 89A, US 89, US 89A and SR 89S for a spur route. Interstate 19 replaced an original section of US 89 from the Mexican border at Nogales to Tucson.

“I call it the Main Street of Arizona,” Cowlin said of 89. “It connects all these towns across the state.”

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US 89 was an early north-south route across Arizona in 1926 when a uniform highway numbering system was established. The Grand Canyon-Nogales Highway south of Tucson was US 380 and the road between Phoenix and Ash Fork was tagged US 280. Later they were renamed US 89 along with a new section from Flagstaff to Fredonia.

Long before interstates, 89 connected Nogales, Tucson, Florence, Mesa, Phoenix, Wickenburg, Congress, Yarnell, Prescott and Ash Fork. It then ran along Route 66 to Flagstaff before turning north to Cameron, Marble Canyon and Fredonia near the Utah border.

Arizona historian Marshall Trimble, who grew up in Ash Fork where 89 intersects with Route 66, recalled his first rough ride in a 1936 Ford on 89, also known then as the White Spar Highway to Prescott.

“Back then, Yarnell Hill was a real bucking bronco,” he said of the steep switchbacks up the Weaver Mountains. “Now it’s like a kid’s pony.”

SR 89 hasn’t changed much between Prescott and Ash Fork except for the road cut through Granite Dells north of Prescott is wider and Hell Canyon has been tamed, first with a 1954 bridge and new bridge last year. Plus, there’s far less traffic, Trimble said.

Interstate 17 and US 93 take much of the north-south traffic that formerly traveled on 89.

Cowlin said Route 89 allows for slower travel and sightseeing as an uncrowded two-lane highway that follows river valleys and the contours of the land.

“It’s kind of a natural road in that sense,” he said.

Cowlin said he discovered Route 89 while poring over maps looking for a landscape photo project to shoot and seeing a line of national parks stretching across the West from north to south.

“US 89 came to be by happenstance,” he said. “Nobody ever said let’s build a road from Glacier to Saguaro National Park. It just happened that way.”

The best time of year to travel the northern stretch of US 89 is mid- to late summer because some of the roads in Glacier National Park are snowbound well into June, Cowlin said.

“89 in Arizona and Utah you can do all year long, but spring or late fall are the best times.”

Highway History: State Route 89 from Wickenburg to Ash Fork

Highway History: State Route 89 from Wickenburg to Ash Fork

Highway History: State Route 89 from Wickenburg to Ash Fork

Highway History: State Route 89 from Wickenburg to Ash Fork

August 7, 2017

Historic SR 89

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications
The number 89 is prominent in Arizona’s highway system. There's a State Route 89, US 89, State Route 89A and US 89A. There was even a US 89T (T stands for temporary) recently while US 89 to Page was being reconstructed.

While there may not be a significance to the actual number, we do know US 89 was the first north-south highway to cross the state. Here’s where it gets complicated. The first north-south US 89 that traversed Arizona isn't where the current US 89 is located. In 1992, US 89 south of Flagstaff was decommissioned. Today, the portion through central Arizona is called SR 89 and connects Wickenburg, Prescott and Ash Fork. This section has also been designated as a historic highway.

Highway 89 was built in segments, starting in southern Arizona in the 1910s. The highway was built for stagecoaches, buggies and freight wagons. In the 1920s, the roadway expanded into central Arizona, followed by northern Arizona in the 1930s. Eventually this route was graveled and modified. Some spots even had modified shoulders for utility lines. Busier segments were covered with asphalt or concrete, suitable for automobiles and trucks.

When US 89 was officially designated in 1927, it was part of a federal government plan to create a continuous road from the Mexico border to Canada. In 1938, the finished highway spanned 1,600 miles, starting in Nogales, Arizona, and ending in Piegan, Montana. In Arizona, only sections of the original roadway remain part of the state highway system.

The old bridge at Hell Canyon goes out with a bang (see the video)

The old bridge at Hell Canyon goes out with a bang (see the video)

The old bridge at Hell Canyon goes out with a bang (see the video)

The old bridge at Hell Canyon goes out with a bang (see the video)

September 23, 2016

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

Last week, what remained of the old Hell Canyon Bridge on State Route 89 went out with a bang.

The 62-year-old bridge, which no longer met federal and state standards for truck traffic, came down in a blast of explosives that caused the structure to fall in on itself.

ADOT opened a new, $14.4 million bridge in June. It has wider lanes and shoulders that allow it to better accommodate truck traffic and oversized loads.

The new Hell Canyon Bridge, located about 18 miles north of Chino Valley between Prescott and Ash Fork, carries about 3,400 vehicles each day.

End your week with a bang by checking out our video of the demolition.

Old State Route 89 bridge over Hell Canyon to be removed

Old State Route 89 bridge over Hell Canyon to be removed

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Old State Route 89 bridge over Hell Canyon to be removed

Old State Route 89 bridge over Hell Canyon to be removed

September 13, 2016

PHOENIX – The 62-year-old State Route 89 bridge at Hell Canyon will be removed on Sept. 16.

The Arizona Department of Transportation replaced the 1954 bridge, which no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, earlier this year. The new bridge is better able to accommodate commercial traffic, particularly oversized loads, between Prescott and Interstate 40.

Crews began dismantling the old bridge in August by removing the bridge deck. In the next step, contractors will use an implosion technique that causes the bridge girders to melt and allows the structure to collapse onto itself.

Motorists traveling on SR 89 between Prescott and Interstate 40 should expect delays of up to 30 minutes on Sept. 16 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Drivers may consider changing the time of their travel or consider alternate routes, including I-17 and I-40 through Flagstaff or US 93.

The new Hell Canyon Bridge, located about 18 miles north of Chino Valley between Prescott and Ash Fork, carries about 3,400 vehicles each day.

The new $14.4 million bridge is 665 feet long and 47 feet wide – 65 feet longer and 17 feet wider than the structure it replaces – and has added strength from a fourth span. It has 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders in each direction, allowing it to better accommodate oversized loads.

For more information, visit azdot.gov.

New SR 89 bridge at Hell Canyon opens to traffic

New SR 89 bridge at Hell Canyon opens to traffic

I-17 101 traffic interchange

New SR 89 bridge at Hell Canyon opens to traffic

New SR 89 bridge at Hell Canyon opens to traffic

June 27, 2016

PHOENIX ‒ The new State Route 89 bridge at Hell Canyon is longer, wider and better able to accommodate commercial traffic between Prescott and Interstate 40 than the 62-year-old span it replaces.

The Arizona Department of Transportation opened the $14.4 million bridge to traffic Thursday, June 23, after 13 months of work.

“SR 89 between Prescott and I-40 is not only an important commuter route between central and northern Arizona, but is also a key strategic detour route, when there are closures to I-17, I-40, and US 93,” ADOT Northwest District Engineer Alvin Stump said. “The new bridge will help ensure that SR 89 can continue to provide these critical transportation needs, including oversized commercial loads.”

The Hell Canyon Bridge, located about 18 miles north of Chino Valley between Prescott and Ash Fork, will carry about 3,400 vehicles each day.

The first bridge over Hell Canyon was a concrete arch structure built in 1923 as part of what was then the Prescott to Ash Fork Highway. That bridge was abandoned in 1954, when the 89 alignment moved west and the just-replaced bridge was completed.

The new bridge is 665 feet long and 47 feet wide – 65 feet longer and 17 feet wider than the structure it replaces – and has added strength from a fourth span. It has 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders in each direction, allowing it to better accommodate oversized loads.

The 1954 bridge, which no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, will be dismantled over the next three months.

SR 89 Hell Canyon Bridge will have some heavenly features

SR 89 Hell Canyon Bridge will have some heavenly features

SR 89 Hell Canyon Bridge will have some heavenly features

SR 89 Hell Canyon Bridge will have some heavenly features

May 11, 2016

SR 89 Hell Canyon Bridge (April 2016)

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

A new State Route 89 Hell Canyon Bridge is in the works north of Chino Valley. While the name often leads to a few jokes, we promise the bridge will have heavenly features. The slideshow above shows how crews have been working to complete the bridge.

On Friday, May 13, SR 89 will close for the deck pour from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Saturday. Drivers need to plan ahead because the road will be closed in both directions.

The $14.4 million project will replace the existing 1954 bridge with a 665-foot, four-span steel-plate girder bridge. It's located east of the existing bridge and will be approximately 47 feet wide, 17 feet wider than the current bridge. The bridge will be able to handle heavier loads, ensuring that commercial trucks can conveniently carry goods and produce to their final destinations.

Check out the time-lapse of the bridge girders going up.

State Route 89 bridge work, closure postponed for a week due to weather

State Route 89 bridge work, closure postponed for a week due to weather

I-17 101 traffic interchange

State Route 89 bridge work, closure postponed for a week due to weather

State Route 89 bridge work, closure postponed for a week due to weather

May 5, 2016

PHOENIX ‒ Bridge work requiring a four-hour closure of State Route 89 at Hell Canyon (milepost 346), 13 miles north of Chino Valley, has been postponed for a week due to inclement weather and will now begin at 9 p.m. Friday, May 13.

Pouring a concrete deck for the bridge is one of the final steps in readying a $14.4 million bridge scheduled to open to traffic in mid-June.

Motorists planning to use SR 89 between I-40 and Prescott between 9 p.m. Friday, May 13, and 1 a.m. Saturday, May 14, should either change the time of their travel or consider alternate routes, including I-17 and I-40 through Flagstaff or US 93.

The 665-foot-long, two-lane bridge will replace one built in 1954. It will feature wider travel lanes to accommodate heavier loads.

As with any work zone, drivers should approach with caution, slow down and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 511.

Widening project complete on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley

Widening project complete on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Widening project complete on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley

Widening project complete on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley

July 16, 2015

Motorists traveling between Prescott and Chino Valley on State Route 89 (mileposts 320-325) now have a four-lane divided highway along a five-mile segment between Road 4 South in Chino Valley and Deep Well Ranch Road in Prescott. 

Crews completed the final paving earlier this week and fully opened the roadway yesterday, July 15. 

For the next six weeks, drivers can expect intermittent lane restrictions between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until August 31 as crews do miscellaneous work and clean up on the project.
 

Hell Canyon bridge replacement to begin this month north of Paulden

Hell Canyon bridge replacement to begin this month north of Paulden

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Hell Canyon bridge replacement to begin this month north of Paulden

Hell Canyon bridge replacement to begin this month north of Paulden

July 7, 2015

PHOENIX — While the Arizona Department of Transportation completed interim repairs to the Hell Canyon Bridge in 2013, the agency moved forward with plans to design a new bridge along State Route 89 in Yavapai County that would ultimately replace the aging and narrow bridge that does not meet today’s design standards. Two years later, ADOT will start construction on Tuesday, July 14 on a modernized bridge that will replace the current bridge when completed.

The existing nearly 600-foot-long bridge, which was built in 1954, is located 18 miles north of Chino Valley at milepost 346 and serves as a key connection linking Prescott and northern Arizona (Interstate 40 in Ash Fork). 

The $14.4 million improvement project will include constructing a new four-span steel-plate girder bridge to the east of the existing bridge and removing the existing three-span steel deck truss bridge, which has been classified as structurally deficient by bridge inspectors. The current bridge is safe; however, some needed repairs or improvements have been identified during bridge inspections.

The new 665-foot-long two-lane bridge will feature wider travel lanes and will be approximately 47 feet wide, more than 17 feet wider than the current bridge. The bridge will also accommodate heavier loads, ensuring commercial trucks can conveniently carry goods and produce to their final destinations, particularly when I-40 traffic is diverted onto SR 89 during serious crashes.

There will be limited traffic impacts to motorists during construction because traffic will remain on the existing bridge, while work progresses on constructing the new bridge east of the current bridge.

The first phase of the project, which is expected to take up to 12 months to complete, will include construction of the new bridge as well as temporary access roads along the north and south sides of the canyon to assist with bridge construction and removal.

Daytime blasting operations, which will begin at 9 a.m. July 14, will be required for the construction of the access roads and intermittent closures will be necessary during that time. Delays of up to 20 minutes are possible until blasting operations are completed by the end of next month. ADOT will send advance notice to the public when any closure dates are finalized.

After the new bridge is completed, traffic will be switched to the new bridge. The existing Hell Canyon Bridge will then be dismantled and removed, which is expected to take up to three months. Additional road construction/realignment will be necessary to the north and south of the new bridge.