US 180

Heading to play in the snow over the holidays? Plan for plenty of traffic

Heading to play in the snow over the holidays? Plan for plenty of traffic

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Heading to play in the snow over the holidays? Plan for plenty of traffic

Heading to play in the snow over the holidays? Plan for plenty of traffic

December 22, 2016

PHOENIX ‒ The combination of snow in the forecast and holidays can be a magnet for those looking to ski, sled or toss a few snowballs.

If you’re heading to play in the snow over Christmas or New Year’s weekends, leave prepared for the strong possibility that you’ll see heavy traffic and delays, especially on the trip home, in popular areas such as US 180 northwest of Flagstaff.

At day’s end, when people start heading home on US 180, it can take 90 minutes or longer to get back to Flagstaff.

Leave prepared to spend more time than you may expect in winter weather. The Arizona Department of Transportation’s tips for winter driving in Arizona’s high country, available at azdot.gov/KnowSnow, include dressing for the cold and packing coats, blankets, gloves and scarves. Make sure you have a fully charged cellphone and plenty of water and snacks, and keep your tank half to three-quarters full at all times.

Travelers should resist the temptation to stop on highway shoulders to play in the snow, in part because plows throw snow and ice far from the roadway. In addition, other drivers may be distracted by your vehicle and first responders may need to use the shoulder. Exit highways and park in designated areas.

Those heading to snow-play sites along US 180 may want to consider making an earlier start home, as on busy days traffic builds toward Flagstaff throughout the afternoon. When they reach Flagstaff, drivers taking Interstate 17 south can save time by following a marked alternate route to Interstate 40 at Butler Avenue, via Switzer Canyon Road and Route 66, and then heading west to I-17. A map of this route is available at FlagstaffArizona.org.

Information on designated snow-play areas around Flagstaff is available at FlagstaffArizona.org or by calling 1.844.256.SNOW.

For the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at az511.gov or call 511. ADOT’s accounts on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) and Facebook (facebook.com/AZDOT) are excellent sources of information and interaction.

ADOT, Flagstaff team to improve traffic flow on US 180 downtown

ADOT, Flagstaff team to improve traffic flow on US 180 downtown

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT, Flagstaff team to improve traffic flow on US 180 downtown

ADOT, Flagstaff team to improve traffic flow on US 180 downtown

May 10, 2016

PHOENIX ‒ Flagstaff residents and visitors will be able to spend more time enjoying the attractions of northern Arizona and less time getting there thanks to an upcoming Arizona Department of Transportation project designed to reduce congestion in the heart of that city 

ADOT and the city of Flagstaff are teaming to add turn lanes where North Humphreys Street (US 180) meets Historic Route 66, with the city contributing land for right of way. That intersection is where area residents, Grand Canyon visitors and those who play in the snow turn onto and off of US 180.

Using $1.9 million in federal funding, ADOT will add a second right-turn lane from southbound Humphreys Street onto Route 66. The project also will add a single right-turn lane from northbound Humphreys Street onto West Aspen Avenue, the first intersection north of Route 66 and a common route to downtown businesses. That lane eventually will become part of dual northbound lanes through the area.

The project involves land next to Flagstaff City Hall but won’t take any land from Wheeler Park north of Aspen Avenue, according to Audra Merrick, district engineer for ADOT’s Northcentral District, who added that the city’s contribution of land in the right of way made it possible to move ahead quickly.

“When we have partners contributing to these projects ‒ in this case, opportunities for rights of way ‒ it provides the needed value for these projects to be really successful,” Merrick said. 

ADOT will do the work because Historic Route 66 and US 180 are state highways.

Design work is set to begin in fiscal year 2017, and construction is expected to start in fiscal year 2019.

Final paving to resume on US 180 - Flagstaff to Snow Bowl - June 1

Final paving to resume on US 180 - Flagstaff to Snow Bowl - June 1

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Final paving to resume on US 180 - Flagstaff to Snow Bowl - June 1

Final paving to resume on US 180 - Flagstaff to Snow Bowl - June 1

May 27, 2015

PHOENIX – After a winter hiatus, the Arizona Department of Transportation is returning next week to apply the top layer of asphalt along a five-mile segment of US 180 from Schultz Pass to Bader roads (mileposts 219-224).

The work is part of a pavement preservation project that started in summer 2014, but work had to be temporarily suspended until warmer temperatures allowed for the final paving.

The work will occur daily, Monday, June 1 through Saturday, June 6, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Additional work may be necessary throughout the month and additional traffic alerts will be issued in advance of those operations.

During paving operations, the two-lane roadway will be reduced to one lane. Pilot cars will allow for alternating travel and delays can be expected in both directions.

Motorists interested in traveling to the Grand Canyon National Park can use Interstate 40 to State Route 64 west of Flagstaff as an alternate route.

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 5-1-1.

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.