SR 89A

SR 89A near Sedona reopened following rockfall mitigation work

SR 89A near Sedona reopened following rockfall mitigation work

I-17 101 traffic interchange

SR 89A near Sedona reopened following rockfall mitigation work

SR 89A near Sedona reopened following rockfall mitigation work

December 15, 2023

Flag crews will direct traffic through the area until paving work is finished

FLAGSTAFF – A section of State Route 89A north of uptown Sedona is open to traffic again following rockfall mitigation work on a canyon wall above the highway.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and its contractor worked to safely reopen SR 89A on Friday morning (Dec. 15) after crews cleared loose rocks and sediment from the slope next to the highway. The rockfall mitigation project started on Dec. 3.

A traffic restriction is in place in the area until resurfacing can take place. Pavement repairs are scheduled on Saturday, Dec. 16. 

  • SR 89A is reduced to one lane only with alternating north- and southbound travel between the Owenby Way roundabout and the Midgley Bridge picnic area (mileposts 375-376).
  • On-site flaggers and a pilot car will direct drivers through the work zone.
  • Drivers should expect a reduced speed limit in the work zone.

SR 89A was closed this week to ensure driver safety. The work caused debris, including rocks and sediment, to fall onto the roadway while crews were clearing the slope above SR 89A.

State highway conditions are available via ADOT’s 511 Travel Information site, the AZ511 app or by calling 511. Highway information and answers are also available via ADOT’s X (formerly Twitter) feed (@ArizonaDOT) and the agency’s Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT).

 

Plan for full closures of SR 89A north of uptown Sedona Dec. 3-9

Plan for full closures of SR 89A north of uptown Sedona Dec. 3-9

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Plan for full closures of SR 89A north of uptown Sedona Dec. 3-9

Plan for full closures of SR 89A north of uptown Sedona Dec. 3-9

November 21, 2023

Access to and from Oak Creek Canyon restricted for rockfall mitigation

FLAGSTAFF – Work to safely remove rocks from an area above State Route 89A north of uptown Sedona will require full daytime highway closures and nighttime restrictions the week of Dec. 3-9, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers should plan on using detour routes along Interstate 17 for travel between Sedona and Flagstaff while the following closures limit travel in Oak Creek Canyon:

  • Daytime Closures: SR 89A closed to all traffic between the Owenby Way roundabout (north of uptown Sedona) and the Midgley Bridge picnic area from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday to Saturday (Dec. 3-9) for rockfall mitigation. Detour: Traffic will detour on State Route 179 and I-17 while SR 89A is closed.
  • Overnight Restrictions: SR 89A will temporarily be opened every half hour between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday through Saturday (Dec. 3-9) to clear any traffic waiting at the Owenby Way roundabout (northbound) and Midgley Bridge (southbound) closure points. The temporary openings of SR 89A will then occur once per hour between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night until the rockfall mitigation work is completed. Detour: Drivers can consider detouring on SR 179 and I-17 during overnight hours.

State highway conditions are available via ADOT’s 511 Travel Information site, the AZ511 app or by calling 511. Highway information and answers are also available via ADOT’s X (formerly Twitter) feed (@ArizonaDOT) and the agency’s Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT).

 

SR 89A improvement project in Cottonwood starts Monday (July 31)

SR 89A improvement project in Cottonwood starts Monday (July 31)

I-17 101 traffic interchange

SR 89A improvement project in Cottonwood starts Monday (July 31)

SR 89A improvement project in Cottonwood starts Monday (July 31)

July 26, 2023

Work will require weekday restrictions until early 2024

COTTONWOOD – A highway improvement project on State Route 89A in Cottonwood is set to start on Monday, July 31, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Restrictions are anticipated through early 2024. Drivers should plan for delays at times and allow extra time while the following weekday restrictions are in place from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.:

  • SR 89A in Cottonwood will be narrowed to one lane at times in either direction between Cottonwood Street and the Verde River bridge (mileposts 353 - 356).
  • A 12-foot width restriction will be in place.
  • No weekend work is currently planned as part of the project.

Drivers should obey a reduced speed limit and use caution when approaching and driving through the work zone. Access to area businesses will be maintained with some necessary restrictions.

Crews will be doing pavement resurfacing work while also making sidewalk and gutter improvements and other repairs along this stretch of SR 89A.

More information is available on the project web page. Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov. ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT.

SR 89A Project Map (ADOT - Cottonwood Area 2023)

Overnight closures of SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon continue next week

Overnight closures of SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon continue next week

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Overnight closures of SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon continue next week

Overnight closures of SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon continue next week

August 18, 2022

SEDONA – The Arizona Department of Transportation has been working overnight on State Route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon this week to continue improvements to the highway. These overnight full closures will continue next week.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 22, crews will continue to close SR 89A from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. so they can safely work on improvements to the highway.

Northbound SR 89A will be closed at the Cave Springs Campground at milepost 386, while southbound 89A will be closed at the Oak Creek Vista Overlook at milepost 390. Drivers traveling between Flagstaff and Sedona will need to use I-17 and SR 179 as a detour to get around the closure.

No overnight closures are scheduled this weekend. Crews should wrap up this series of overnight full closures by Friday, Aug. 26.

The $11.1 million project started earlier this year and includes rockfall mitigation, erosion control and bridge rehabilitation. The work is anticipated to be completed by late 2023 with a possible winter hiatus at the end of this year.

For more information about the project, visit azdot.gov/SR89A.

ADOT to create smoother ride along Milton Road in Flagstaff

ADOT to create smoother ride along Milton Road in Flagstaff

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT to create smoother ride along Milton Road in Flagstaff

ADOT to create smoother ride along Milton Road in Flagstaff

March 31, 2022

FLAGSTAFF – Beginning Monday, April 4, the Arizona Department of Transportation will improve the pavement on Milton Road in Flagstaff, creating a smoother ride for drivers and repairing years of winter weather damage.

The work will take place along Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, from Forest Meadows Street to Phoenix Avenue near Flagstaff City Hall - a distance of about one-and-a-half miles.

Crews will begin the project by making sidewalk repairs while also bringing curb ramps and driveways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The initial stage of work will continue for several weeks before crews turn their attention to resurfacing Milton Road.

Paving work will include milling down the old pavement, resurfacing with new asphalt and restriping the road. 

Work will take place mainly during nighttime hours to reduce traffic impacts. Drivers can expect lane closures within any Milton Road work zones while the resurfacing project is underway. 

Improvements to the road’s pavement are anticipated to be completed by the end of the summer.

Transportation Board awards major improvement project along SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon

Transportation Board awards major improvement project along SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Transportation Board awards major improvement project along SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon

Transportation Board awards major improvement project along SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon

February 18, 2022

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona State Transportation Board awarded a construction contract on Friday, Feb. 18, for safety-related and other improvements along SR 89A in Oak Creek Canyon. The improvements include rockfall mitigation, erosion control and bridge rehabilitation.

Beginning this spring, the Arizona Department of Transportation and its contractor, Fisher Sand & Gravel Co., who was awarded the $11.1 million contract, will begin construction to improve safety along the highway.

With the exception of limited daytime and overnight closures, SR 89A will remain open to traffic. Traffic restrictions using a combination of temporary traffic signals and flagging operations will be in place while the improvements are under construction. The roadway will be narrowed to one lane only through the work zones with alternating north- and southbound travel. ADOT is committed to completing the improvements as quickly as possible, while balancing the transportation and needs of local and nearby communities.

Rockfall mitigation work will be performed at two locations along SR 89A at milepost 375 just north of the Sedona city limits and at milepost 389 just north of Pumphouse Wash Bridge in the switchbacks. The work consists of improvements to mitigate rockfall at those locations, pavement improvements, pavement markings and other related work.

Sediment and erosion control work will take place in the switchbacks near the Pumphouse Wash Bridge. The work will improve drainage systems along the highway reducing erosion and includes installing concrete barriers, pipes, a retaining wall and catch basin, and other related work.

Finally, the Pumphouse Wash Bridge itself will receive a new bridge deck and railing, along with other related work. This will help extend the life of the bridge keeping it in service for decades to come. 

These items were originally listed as three separate projects to be completed at different times under two contractors. However, in order to better address the complexity of the work and better coordinate traffic impacts, the projects were combined into one under one contractor.

Roadway message boards will notify the traveling public a minimum of seven calendar days in advance of full closures.

No closures or traffic restrictions will be allowed during weekends (outside of the allowable closure periods for SR 89A) and state holidays. Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors.

The work is anticipated to be completed by fall 2023 with a possible winter hiatus at the end of this year.

For more information about the project, visit azdot.gov/SR89A.

Help us develop a vision for two vital corridors in Flagstaff

Help us develop a vision for two vital corridors in Flagstaff

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Help us develop a vision for two vital corridors in Flagstaff

Help us develop a vision for two vital corridors in Flagstaff

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications
November 18, 2020

ADOT has been studying two important roadway corridors in the growing Flagstaff area and now we want your input.

ADOT is developing a master plan for Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, which is the primary road coming into Flagstaff as well as US 180, also known as Humphreys Street and Fort Valley Road. US 180 is the primary corridor to Arizona Snowbowl and other snow play areas. The highway is also an alternate route to SR 64 and the Grand Canyon.

The purpose of the master plan is to create a 20-year vision for two busy transportation corridors that addresses current and future safety, traffic congestion and transit issues by looking at different ways to improve traffic flow and safety and address transit needs.

ADOT is holding virtual public meetings this week on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in order to answer questions and get public input on these master plans.

The public is encouraged to visit azdot.gov/MiltonCorridorMasterPlan and azdot.gov/US180CorridorMasterPlan to submit comments via an online survey. All comments on these studies will need to be received by Dec. 4. 

Questions and comments may also be submitted by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]. Members of the public can also submit comments by phone by calling 602-522-7777.
 

Stop to smell the roses and read this SR 89A historic marker

Stop to smell the roses and read this SR 89A historic marker

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Stop to smell the roses and read this SR 89A historic marker

Stop to smell the roses and read this SR 89A historic marker

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications
July 22, 2020

It isn't exactly news that history abounds along Arizona highways. A casual driver can learn about historical figures ranging from Hi Jolly to Tom Mix by visiting various historical markers and monuments.

But what might be news to you, as it was to me, is the Indian Gardens historical marker on State Route 89A as you head to or from Oak Creek Canyon.

Like many a motorist intent on reaching the leafy shade and instant heat relief of a dip in the creek, I’ve driven past this marker many a time, despite signs pointing it out.

But recently, reluctant to return home from a socially distant vacation along the creek, it suddenly seemed a good idea to visit the site at milepost 378.  

Erected by the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1965, the marker commemorates Oak Creek Canyon’s first settler, a man named John James Thompson.

Like other ADOT historical markers, this plaque is filled with intriguing facts.

“In 1876 or 1877, Jim Thompson built a log cabin here and began cultivating the old Indian Gardens where the Indians had grown corn and squash long before Oak Creek was known to white men. Thompson remained here at his Indian Gardens Ranch until his death in 1917.”  

Here is a brief history of Thompson gleaned from other historical accounts: Born in Ireland, he ran away to the United States as a teenager and fought in the Civil War. He also prospected for gold, herded cattle and ran a ferry boat before using squatter’s rights to settle on the Indian Gardens Ranch.

He and his wife, Maggie, had nine children.  When their youngest was born, Thompson was 72 and Maggie was 47. Today there are more than 100 Thompson family descendants. You can learn more about them at the Sedona Heritage Museum and through the Sedona Historical Society.

What is the moral of this story? Perhaps it is that while some of us can’t stop and smell the roses, we can still stop for an historical marker. I’m glad I did!

Busy year ahead for highway projects in northern Arizona

Busy year ahead for highway projects in northern Arizona

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Busy year ahead for highway projects in northern Arizona

Busy year ahead for highway projects in northern Arizona

January 23, 2019

PHOENIX – This year will be filled with highway system improvements for northern Arizona travelers, including the start of the latest Arizona Department of Transportation project expanding US 93 to four-lane divided highway between Wickenburg and Interstate 40.

Crews will soon launch a $35.5 million project on nearly 4 miles of US 93 just north of Wikieup, between Carrow and Stephens, connecting two sections of highway that have already been divided. That will provide a continuous stretch of divided four-lane highway from milepost 108, about 15 miles south of I-40, and milepost 121 near Wikieup.

With an eye toward an Interstate 11, ADOT has invested more than half a billion dollars over the past 20 years to turn the primary route between Phoenix and Las Vegas into modern four-lane divided highway. The upcoming project is part of $155 million in US 93 improvements planned over the next five years.

Currently all but 39 miles of the 200-mile drive from Wickenburg to the Nevada state line has been upgraded to a four-lane divided highway to improve traffic flow, support the movement of freight and enhance safety through this heavily traveled area. The entire northern segment of US 93 from Kingman to the Nevada state line (mileposts 1 to 68) is now a four-lane divided highway following the completion of a $71 million project in 2010.

Meanwhile, paving projects to repair long-term winter weather damage will continue in the Flagstaff area, with crews finishing paving along northbound I-17 from milepost 312 to the I-40 interchange and along the 17-mile stretch of I-40 between Cataract Lake and Parks west of Flagstaff.

Last year, crews rebuilt about 20 miles of highway in northern Arizona, providing a long-term fix to damage from freeze-thaw cycles and heavy traffic. In all, ADOT has improved or is in the process of improving 62 miles of interstate freeway in the Flagstaff area.

This spring, ADOT will launch a project to repave 13 miles of State Route 89A from Sedona to the Pumphouse Wash bridge between mileposts 374 and 387. The project will also install new guardrail.

In far northwestern Arizona, the decks of three Virgin River bridges along Interstate 15 will get makeovers starting early this year. Bridge Nos. 2 and 5 will get newly resurfaced decks. Bridge No. 4 will received a brand new deck.

For more information on these projects, please visit azdot.gov/projects.

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

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

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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.”