GLOBE – A new US 60 bridge over Pinto Creek opened to traffic Friday, Sept. 17, replacing a 72-year-old structure on the only route between Superior and the Globe-Miami area.

The Arizona Department of Transportation began the $22.7 million bridge replacement project 23 months ago, constructing the new bridge just feet away from traffic that continued using the existing structure. Then on the night of Sunday, Sept. 12, work crews closed US 60 between Superior and Miami for a round-the-clock operation to realign the roadway to the new bridge.

The 695.5-foot-long bridge opened to the public about noon Friday. While both bridges were designed for two lanes of traffic, the new structure also features 8-foot-wide shoulders and can handle heavier loads.

“US 60 is a critical route for passenger vehicles and commercial traffic, including heavy loads from mines in the area,” said ADOT Southeast District Engineer Bill Harmon. “By completing this new bridge at Pinto Creek, we’re making sure the highway will remain reliable and safe for decades to come.”

The bridge is expected to handle roughly 7,200 vehicles a day.

While the largest milestone of the project is complete, drivers should expect periodic lane restrictions and delays in the area through the rest of 2021. Crews will work to restore the project site to its natural state over the next several months, with work beginning shortly to remove the existing bridge.

The old bridge, opened in 1949 with an estimated lifespan of 50 years, remained safe for traffic but had reached the end of its useful life. As noted on plaques at each end of the structure, the American Institute of Steel Construction bestowed an annual award of merit for 1949’s Most Beautiful Steel Bridge, Class II. Days after closing the old bridge, crews removed the plaques so they can be donated to local historical societies.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

GLOBE – Motorists who travel on US 60 between Superior and Miami need to begin planning for a full closure of the highway from Sept. 12-17 while crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation realign the roadway to meet with the new Pinto Creek bridge.

During the 5-day closure, motorists should expect an extra hour of travel and a 10 percent grade as traffic is detoured onto state routes 77 and 177 through Winkleman. Eastbound traffic in Superior will be directed onto SR 177, and westbound traffic will be redirected at the west end of Miami.

Motorists with a destination in the closed segment of US 60 will be allowed to pass the closure points, but no vehicles will be allowed between Top-of-the-World and Pinto Valley Mine Road. 

The closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, and end at noon Friday, Sept. 17. The closure is subject to change based on weather.

While ADOT has worked to minimize the impact of the bridge replacement project, the extended closure is required because of the work involved with shifting the highway roughly 30 feet while also raising it 8 feet to align with the new structure. Crews will work 24 hours a day during the closure.

The work that will take place during the closure represents a major milestone in the two-year, $22.7 million project to replace the 72-year-old bridge. Once traffic is shifted onto the nearly 700-foot long bridge, construction crews will begin the process of removing the old structure and restoring the project site.

Also, drivers should expect a 4-hour closure in October when crews take down the old bridge. Through the rest of the year, occasional lane restrictions will be required as crews haul away remnants of the old bridge and complete other roadway improvements.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

GLOBE – Motorists who travel on US 60 between Superior and Miami need to begin planning for a full closure of the highway from Sept. 12-17 while crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation realign the roadway to meet with the new Pinto Creek bridge.

During the 5-day closure, motorists should expect an extra hour of travel and a 10 percent grade as traffic is detoured onto state routes 77 and 177 through Winkleman. Eastbound traffic in Superior will be directed onto SR 177, and westbound traffic will be redirected at the west end of Miami.

Motorists with a destination in the closed segment of US 60 will be allowed to pass the closure points, but no vehicles will be allowed between Top-of-the-World and Pinto Valley Mine Road. 

The closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, and end at noon Friday, Sept. 17. The closure is subject to change based on weather.

While ADOT has worked to minimize the impact of the bridge replacement project, the extended closure is required because of the work involved with shifting the highway roughly 30 feet while also raising it 8 feet to align with the new structure. Crews will work 24 hours a day during the closure.

The work that will take place during the closure represents a major milestone in the two-year, $22.7 million project to replace the 72-year-old bridge. Once traffic is shifted onto the nearly 700-foot long bridge, construction crews will begin the process of removing the old structure and restoring the project site.

Also, drivers should expect a 4-hour closure in October when crews take down the old bridge. Through the rest of the year, occasional lane restrictions will be required as crews haul away remnants of the old bridge and complete other roadway improvements.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

GLOBE – Motorists who travel on US 60 between Superior and Miami need to begin planning for a full closure of the highway from Sept. 12-17 while crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation realign the roadway to meet with the new Pinto Creek bridge.

During the 5-day closure, motorists should expect an extra hour of travel and a 10 percent grade as traffic is detoured onto state routes 77 and 177 through Winkleman. Eastbound traffic in Superior will be directed onto SR 177, and westbound traffic will be redirected at the west end of Miami.

Motorists with a destination in the closed segment of US 60 will be allowed to pass the closure points, but no vehicles will be allowed between Top-of-the-World and Pinto Valley Mine Road. 

The closure is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, and end at noon Friday, Sept. 17. The closure is subject to change based on weather.

While ADOT has worked to minimize the impact of the bridge replacement project, the extended closure is required because of the work involved with shifting the highway roughly 30 feet while also raising it 8 feet to align with the new structure. Crews will work 24 hours a day during the closure.

The work that will take place during the closure represents a major milestone in the two-year, $22.7 million project to replace the 72-year-old bridge. Once traffic is shifted onto the nearly 700-foot long bridge, construction crews will begin the process of removing the old structure and restoring the project site.

Also, drivers should expect a 4-hour closure in October when crews take down the old bridge. Through the rest of the year, occasional lane restrictions will be required as crews haul away remnants of the old bridge and complete other roadway improvements.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

GLOBE – US 60 will close between Miami and Superior the night of Wednesday, July 28, as crews pour a portion of the concrete deck on the new Pinto Creek Bridge.

The highway will close to all traffic between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. as crews work in close proximity to the existing bridge. While US 60 is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. Thursday, July 29, drivers should be prepared for lane restrictions and flaggers directing traffic if work is necessary past that time.

With the new bridge nearly complete, the next major step of the $22.7 million bridge replacement project will be shifting the roadway alignment to the new bridge. The work will occur in September and require a full five-day closure of US 60. ADOT will provide notice of the closure dates when the schedule is confirmed.

When US 60 is closed, traffic will be detoured to SR 177 in Superior and SR 77 in Globe. The detour includes a 10% grade and will significantly increase travel time.

Motorists with a destination between SR 177 and Top-of-the-World to the west of Pinto Creek, or between Miami and Pinto Valley Mine Road east of Pinto Creek, will be allowed to pass during the closure. No vehicles will be allowed between Top-of-the-World and Pinto Valley Mine Road.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

GLOBE – Full overnight closures are scheduled on US 60 between Miami and Superior Wednesday, July 21, and Wednesday, July 28, as part of the Pinto Creek Bridge replacement project.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will close the highway between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on July 21-22 and July 28-29 while crews pour the concrete deck on the new bridge. While the highway is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. the following Thursday mornings, drivers may encounter alternating lane restrictions and flaggers directing traffic if work extends past that hour.

During the closure, US 60 traffic will be detoured to SR 177 in Superior and SR 77 in Globe. The detour includes a 10% grade and will significantly increase travel time. Traffic will not be allowed to queue at the closure locations.

Motorists on US 60 with a destination between SR 177 and Top-of-the-World west of Pinto Creek or between Miami and Pinto Valley Mine Road east of Pinto Creek will be allowed to pass. However, no vehicles will be allowed between Top-of-the-World and Pinto Valley Mine Road.

More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.