US 89

Marking months of planning and collaboration, the Navajo Division of Transportation and ADOT are ready to officially break ground on the Navajo Route 20 paving project.

PHOENIX — After months of planning and negotiation, the Navajo Division of Transportation and Arizona Department of Transportation are ready to break ground on a paving project on Navajo Route 20.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the paving of N20 will take place at 11 a.m. on the Navajo Nation (10 a.m. MST in Arizona) on Sunday, June 9 at Tsinaabaas Habitiin Elementary School in Bodaway-Gap. ADOT Deputy Director of Transportation Jennifer Toth will be one of the designated speakers.

On May 28, ADOT officially began construction on N20.

Just as construction to upgrade N20 begins, ADOT is wrapping up its geotechnical investigation at the US 89 landslide site…

Drivers who have been impacted by the closure on US 89 might be happy to know that work is beginning on Navajo Route 20… That means crews soon will start paving the mostly dirt road so it can (in a few months) serve as an interim detour route until repairs are finished on US 89.

Things have come a long way in the two months since a landslide buckled part of US 89 south of Page…

When a landslide buckled a portion of US 89 back in February, the incident (unsurprisingly) brought many people together to work on restoring mobility to the area ...

Good news for drivers who have seen their commute impacted by the US 89 landslide … Last Friday (April 12), during its monthly meeting in Tucson, the State Transportation Board approved funding to pave Navajo Route 20 ...

PHOENIX — While the Arizona Department of Transportation forges ahead with its geotechnical investigation on the US 89 landslide and works on the long-term solution to restore the damaged highway, the agency is committed to restoring connectivity to the Page and Lake Powell region as quickly as possible.

With that in mind, the State Transportation Board approved funding to pave Navajo Route 20, a Navajo Nation tribal road that runs parallel to US 89, at its monthly meeting April 12 in Tucson.

We have heard from a lot of people who want to know when US 89 is going to reopen …

PHOENIX — The final step to complete ADOT’s geotechnical investigation that will ultimately uncover the best long-term solution to restore the landslide damaged US 89 highway has started.

After receiving environmental clearance, heavy construction began today as crews will cut a pathway down the slope to the base of the mountain slope. The work is expected to take at least two weeks.

You might remember that we blogged about inclinometers back in February – they’re the instruments used to measure slope inclination or movement at specific locations ...

PHOENIX — In Page, Marble Canyon and the Lake Powell region, tourism is a major contributor to the economy with more than two million visitors annually — and tourism season is beginning to ramp up. When a February landslide on US 89 closed off direct access to the area, the Arizona Department of Transportation made it a priority to keep traffic moving while coming up with solutions to the complex, long-term problem on the highway.

Even though there’s a stretch of US 89 that’s not open, the businesses and communities surrounding the closure most definitely are ...

PHOENIX — To bolster communication regarding the US 89 closure caused by last month’s landslide, the Arizona Department of Transportation has set up an office in Page that is staffed twice a week, beginning today.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday, ADOT will have a representative at Page City Hall (697 Vista Ave. in Page). The project team member will be available to answer questions from the public and give the latest updates on the agency’s plans to repair the highway.

We’ve got some good news for drivers whose commutes have been impacted by the US 89 landslide ...

We’ve got some good news for drivers whose commutes have been impacted by the US 89 landslide...

It would be an understatement to say that we’ve experienced a bit of a surge in our social media audience of late. Those of us who have spent the last few years working to build ADOT’s online network would love to believe that our spontaneous increase in viewers, followers and readers is due solely to our engaging content and commitment to transparency…

After seeing the photos and video of US 89, it’s obvious that a lot of engineering brainpower will be needed to determine the cause of the landslide and what the possible long- and short-term options might be. Seeing the magnitude of the damage might also make you wonder about costs ...

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation has been granted $2 million in immediate federal aid that can be used to continue investigating the cause of a landslide on a stretch of US 89 last month south of Page.

Following Governor Jan Brewer’s Declaration of Emergency last week, ADOT asked the Federal Highway Administration for the quick release of emergency relief funds and submitted an initial estimate to complete repairs of $35 million. This estimate may change as further information about the landslide is gathered by engineers.

Check out this video. Not only does it give an up-close look of what’s happening at the US 89 site, it also provides us with a few new, interesting geotechnical terms, including inclinometers, extensometers, LiDAR and DTM ...